Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth IS
by Musashi the Master
Summary: Following an accident on EDEN, Ichika learns his body has become half-digitazed. Teaming up with his friends, the mysterious Kyoko Kuremi and his Digimon, Agumon, he and his friends alongside anime characters fight bad guys and trying to piece together a mystery in the first every Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth x Infinite Stratos crossover.
1. The Beginning

**A/n: Hello all! Time for another Musashi the Master and Panther J story. Now, this story is something me and Panther J wanted to do. Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth is crossing over with Infinite Stratos and is called Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth IS. Now the changes that are different from the game is that Ichika is the main protagonist and his Digimon partner is Agumon who is based on the main Agumon from Digimon Data Squad. So this story will follow Ichika and his friends as they fight alongside their Digimon partners to battle anime villains, the Dark Masters and some of the Royal Knights to save the real world, universe and the Digital World from the Eaters as well as Ichika trying to piece together what happened 8 years ago and his connection with the Ghost Boy in White. So here is possibily the first Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth x Infinite Stratos crossover. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth, all rights go to Bandai Namco, neither do I own Infinite Stratos, all rights to the anime and light novels go to Izuru Yumizuru nor do I own any anime show or anime influenced shows I put in this fanfic. Please support the disclaimer.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: A Boy and his Digimon: The Meeting Between Human and Digimon!**

* * *

Off the coast of Southern Asia, lies the island of Japan. Known by many as the Land of the Rising Sun as it blends modern technology with traditional Japanese cultural in its various towns and cities. The largest city and the capital of Japan is Tokyo as it's the central point of the island and one of the largest cities in the world. However, our story will follow a young man as he and his seven friends will fight a force unlike anything they've faced before. With the help of heroes from other worlds, can the young man and his friends protect their home from the forces of evil or will this darkness be much closer than they think.

* * *

 **Ichika's POV**

* * *

It's been 2 years since the unveiling of the new Cyberspace EDEN to the public. It's a massive server where people from all over the world can interact with each other without having to leave their homes. It was able to change the world in a big way and and even restored the men's seat of power to govern alongside women. While women can still use the IS more than men, their popularity has decreased since the rise of EDEN and its ability to enter the internet. A lot has changed since my battle with Madoka and she's been quiet for some time now. Could she be planning something else to try and destroy us and use the IS for evil? I guess only time will tell if we ever see her again.

* * *

 **Normal POV**

* * *

In the residential district of Tokyo, eight friends were walking home from the the monorail that leads to a manmade island that houses the IS Academy, a school built to train girls to be IS pilots. One of them was the only male pilot in the school and his name is Ichika Orimura, the younger brother of Chifuyu Orimura and a star IS pilot before her retirement. The high tech goggles he's wearing on his head were a birthday gift from Chifuyu. The second person right next to him is Houki Shinonono, the younger sister of the creator of the IS Tebane Shinonono and childhood friend to Ichika. The girl next to her is Cecilia Alcott, the only daughter of the Alcott family and current heir. The girl after her is Huang Lingyin or Ling by her friends, the resident hothead and second childhood friend to Ichika. The fourth girl with silver hair and an eyepatch is Laura Bodewig, former super soldier of the German military turned student of IS Academy. The fifth girl next to her is Charlotte Dunios or Char by her friends, a former disguised male student of the academy and now full female. The last two are a pair of twins with near identical features named Tatenashi and Kanzashi, the Sarashiki sisters.

"Man, that test was brutal…" Ling sighed in exhaustion. "I can't believe one of our teachers was sadistic enough to give us a hard test on the last hour of school. I can't take anymore of that kind of torture." Her friends all nodded in agreement as they felt her pain.

"You can say that again, Ling." Houki agrees with a sigh as well. "Who would've thought we'd have a test at the end of class just to remind us of our coming graduation? Not me, that's for darn sure." Everyone nodded in agreement as she changed the subject. "Hey Ichika, I've noticed Chifuyu-sensei wasn't around today. Do you know where she was?"

"Oh yeah, she told me this last week." Ichika replies as he remembered something important. "She went on a business trip for 2 months and won't be back until the end of May. She wanted me to tell all of you that before she left, but with that test we had came out of nowhere and I almost forgot. Thanks for reminding me, Houki." Everyone all nodded in understanding.

"Let's also not forget one other important thing." Char reminds everyone with a smile. "This year will be the day we graduate from the IS Academy."

"Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Ling cheered "Once we graduate from the academy, we'll be able to use and keep our ISes and become full fledged IS Pilots!"

"Oh yes, there's something else Maya-sensei said." Cecilia remembered something else. "She said that Tabane's working on a project that'll help both men and women in the seat of power. She also wanted to know what our plans are for the future once we graduate from the IS Academy." She and her friends all started to ponder about their future plans until Ichika decided to step in.

"Hey, we can worry about our plans later." Ichika cheerfully reminded them. "Even if we do graduate from the academy this year, we'll always be friends and remember each other for years to come." The IS girls all smiled in agreement as he and Char looked at each other carefully before both looked away, blushing. "Anyway, I have to get home now. I need to use my laptop for a chatroom with some friends of mine."

"We understand, Ichika." Laura nods in understanding "But try not to get hurt, I don't want to tell Chifuyu about any possible injuries her brother may have."

"Don't worry, I'll be alright." Ichika reassures her with a smile. "Well, I'll be seeing all of you tomorrow. Bye, girls!" He and his friends all waved goodbye to each other and went their separate ways to head for home. After splitting up with the girls, he arrived back at his house as he uses his key to enter the front door and taking off his shoes after entering. He then makes his way up to his room and sits at his desk before starting up his laptop. "Ok, let's see what's been going on in EDEN." He puts his goggles over his eyes as he clicks on the Enjoy Chat icon.

"Happy Chat." A computer voice said as Ichika clicks on the icon and types in his IM Name ByankushiiDude. "Welcome. To Happy Chat. Select a chat room." Several more icons appeared on the screen as he scrolls through them until he clicks on the icon with a face and padlock on it. "Enter the password." Ichika then types in his password in the bar until it starts loading before the padlock unlocks. "Nice to see you!" After that, the screen goes dark for a few moments until he sees a dialogue box with the word "Hi there." appears. After that, several more dialogue boxes started appearing until he sees two avatars, a heart and a snowman, talking to each other as he hears other avatars talking to each other about something and decided to join the conversation.

"Hey guys! Ever heard of Digimon?" Akkino asked.

"What's that all of a sudden?" Blue Box asked back.

"You're talking about Digimon programs, right? Those dangerous programs used by hackers." Old Man Fanta said.

"Digimon programs used by hackers?" Ichika asked "Something tells me this isn't just a rumor. I'll have to find out for myself." He starts typing in his question. "Dangerous? How dangerous, exactly?"

"They can break through security, steal data… enter password-protected forums with ease… Those programs can do all kinds of nasty things!" Old Man Fanta answered "They're behind most of the incidents that have been happening."

"Wow, Digimon sound nuts!" Akkino said.

"My friend got his account targeted by them." AlgerNON said.

"No way…" Love Crusher gasped.

"When did this happened?" U0Starving asked.

"In some areas, Digimon roam around on their own…" Dark Night Satan said.

"Wait a minute, Digimon can move!?" Akkino gawked.

"It sounds like these programs have avatars. Kinda like monsters." Old Man Fanta said.

"Digimon…like 'Digital Monsters'?" AlgerNON asked.

"Exactly!" Akkino answered.

"When did this happen, exactly?" U0Starving asked. Before anyone could answer, a notified appears on the screen that says "Mr. Navit has logged in." as a saw appears underneath the floor and started cutting a hole. The floor opens up as a blue robot appears with the word EDEN on his screen face. The robot shook its head as a smiling face appears on its screen.

"Yoooo, what's up, people!" The robot greeted.

"Whaaaat, it's Mr. Navit!" AlgerNON yelled out.

"Huh? You mean that EDEN mascot?" Love Crusher asked.

"Sorry man, no solicitations! Haha!" Akkino laughed.

"What the heck? Why would an EDEN official come all the way out here?" Old Man Fanta asked.

"…This is a private room. y'know? Just who are you?" Blue Box asked coldly.

"And what's with that greeting? Hardly suiting an official…" U0Starving said, suspicious of this.

"Wait a minute…is he a hacker?!" Akkino gasped.

"Speak of the devil…" Love Crusher said in surprise.

"For real!?" AlgerNON gawked.

"That's right! I'm Mr. Navit, the hacker!" Mr. Navit answered, still smiling. "I have a fantastic present for all of you! Be sure to log in to EDEN tomorrow! Don't forget, now! If you don't login, I'll hack you! Buh-bye, now!" Mr. Navit ducked back into the hole and closed the top behind him as the notifier said "Mr. Navit has logged out." appears while everyone else were just confused at what had happened.

"What the heck… Was that an actual hacker?" Old Man Fanta asked.

"No way, dude!" Akkino said in amazement.

"Think someone's pulling a prank on us?" Love Crusher asked.

"Sounds fun, don't it? Let's check it out!" Akkino beamed, but no one else responded to her. "What, don't tell me y'all are chicken?"

"You want to go, Akkino? What'll you do if it's a real hacker?" Blue Box asked.

"This is just PR for an EDEN event, ain't it? A REAL hacker would be cooler, though…" Akkino said.

"…Sounds like I can't stop you. Fine, then I'll come with." Blue Box sighed

"What, is this a date now? You asking me out all of a sudden!?" Akkino asked.

",,,Anyway." Blue Box said with an annoyed grunt.

"Anyone else want to come with us?" Akkino asked everyone else.

"Better safe than sorry. I'm out." Old Man Fanta answered.

"I'll pass!" AlgerNON answered.

"Me, too." Love Crusher agrees as they all left with only the trio still there.

"Hmm…this could be a trap, but I need to see this for myself." Ichika said "If that was a hacker using EDEN's mascot, then I'll have to get some answers from there." He thinks about it before a minute before typing in his answer. "I'm in!"

* * *

After logging out of the chatroom, Ichika takes his goggles and rests them back on his head as he slumps back in his chair and takes a deep breath from what just happened in the chatroom with his friends.

"Ok, that was just weird…" Ichika muttered. "How did a hacker find a way to enter a private chatroom? And what's this about a present he has for us?" He sits back up in his chair. "If I'm going to find out, I better not tell Houki and the others about this. I know Laura told me not to get hurt, but I need to find out more about this present he wanted to give us." He checks the clock and sees it's already 12;23pm. "Whoa, it's that late already? I guess that hacker appearing out of nowhere took me by surprise that I didn't know it'd gotten so late. Guess I'll be heading for bed now, we'll see what happens in the morning." He gets up from his chair and heads for the closet to put on his PJs before turning off the lights and heading for bed.

* * *

The next day, it was just like any other day at the academy as all of his female classmates all tried to get his attention. But the seven he has been on constant lookout for are Houki, Char, Ling, Cecilia, Laura and the Sarashiki sisters that they were all in love with him and he has to survive on his wits alone. While he does love each of them, he has a hard time saying how he really feels because he doesn't want to hurt their feelings by choosing only one of them. Once classes has ended, Ichika raced back home and got on his laptop as he types in his name until the EDEN Emblem appears on screen as he puts on his goggles to enter EDEN.

"Welcome to the digital garden of EDEN!" The announcer greeted "EDEN is a virtual world (metaverse) providing several revolutionary services in a new generation of digital content. Bountiful entertainment, including shopping and movies. Everything from corporate transactions to political administrations… Everyone's needs are met. I will be more than happy to introduce some of available services that will be part of your daily life. The future of the net is not behind a screen. It is intuitive virtual reality through the use of avatars. I do hope you enjoy using our cutting-edge cyberspace services. EDEN is a human network connecting the world to the future, run by Kamishino Enterprise." Ichika rights himself up as he starts landing on the platform and looks ahead of him with an amazed expression.

"Wow, this is amazing!" Ichika gasped in awe. "I didn't think it's be this big!" He looks around the platform to see several other people interacting with one another. "This must be the entrance to EDEN. The place where we promised to meet." He looks around to find his friends. "I guess I arrived earlier than we'd agreed on. I don't see Akkino or Blue Box anywhere." He starts looking around the entrance with amazement until he realizes something. "Right, this'll be the first time I'll meet them outside a chatroom. Plus, I don't even know what their avatars look like." He shrugs his shoulders. "Oh well, I'll figure something out. I guess I'll try talking with all the EDEN avatars in the area."

Ichika starts walking around the entrance and asking around all the other EDEN avatars if they've seen his friends, but all of them said no or starting talking about a rumor of a ghost boy in EDEN. After failing to find his friends, Ichika heads back to the terminal to head for another area to continue his search.

"Ok, no one has seen them around the entrance, so I guess I'll head for somewhere else." Ichka figured. "Well, there's still time left before our meeting. I'll just have to check out some of the other areas." He steps on the terminal and chose the option to go to another area. The only area that was accessible now was the EDEN Community Area and heads over. "So this is the Community Area? I like it here, it's so quiet and relaxed." As he was about to step off the terminal, he hears a ringing forming from his Digivice. "Huh, my Digivice's Talk feature is getting a call? I wonder who could it be?" He answers his Digivice as Mr. Navit appears on screen. "What the?!"

"Hey there! It's me, Mr. Navit!" Mr. Navit greeted "Just one sec~ You're behind schedule, silly! You're gonna be late! Hurry up! Come to Galacta Park in Kowloon! Your two friends arrived a little while ago and are waiting for you! I have a gift for you all, but everyone has to be there first! Buh-bye!" The call ends as Ichika was left with a shocked expression.

"Okay, now that was just bizarre.,," Ichika muttered. "And did he say Kowloon? Isn't that a dangerous area full of hackers?" He crosses his arms and thinks about it for a minute before taking a deep breath. "Ok Ichika, just calm down. There's no need to panic. But I wonder what he meant by a 'gift'? I'll leave it for later, let's just head over to Galacta Park on Kowloon." He was about step back on the terminal before stopping himself. "But how do I even get there? I've never been anywhere near Kowloon." He closes his eyes and crosses his arms. "I'll just have to ask around to see of anyone knows how to get to the Galacta Park in Kowloon." He steps back on the terminal and headed back to the entrance to ask around on how to enter Kowloon.

* * *

Upon entering back to the EDEN Entrance, Ichika started asking around about how to get to Galacta Park in Kowloon, but everyone either said no or just rudely told him to get lost. As Ichika heads back to the terminal, he spots a figure in a hood just standing there. With no other option, he heads over to the person and asked him how to get to Kowloon.

"Excuse me, can I ask you something?" Ichika asked politely "I don't mean to bother you or anything as I'm sure you're busy, but do you know how to get to Galacta Park in Kowloon?" The hooded person just stared at him with a creepy glare that made him really uncomfortable.

"…I want to go. To Galacta Park, in Kowloon. That's what you think you want. Isn't it?" The hooded person said coldly. "I'll show you the way. This is the URL. To their area. Take it." The person then leaves without a second glance.

"Ok, that was just creepy…" Ichika muttered as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "That guy was saying all those random things like he knows me or something. Still, at least I got the URL. Which means I can head for Kowloon now." He runs back to the terminal as the same hooded figure just watched him leave. He steps back on the terminal and used the URL to head for Kowloon to meet with his friends and finding out this "gift" Mr. Navit wanted to give them.

* * *

After leaving the EDEN Entrance, Ichika started heading down to the inner parts of EDEN where is started becoming more clumped together and it has a neon blue color to it as he heads even further into EDEN. Just under him, a young man about Ichika's age was walking down a path until he looks up and sees Ichika flying overhead as he continues walking. Ichika rounds a corner until he sees a lamppost in the distance with someone else standing in the light.

"Where did everybody go?" The girl asked as she looked around before looking up and spotted Ichika. "You have gotta be kidding! No! You're late! Sooo late!" Ichika lands in front of her as she continues her tangent. "I can't believe you'd leave a defenseless girl like me alone here, you jerk!"

"Okay, sorry I'm late." Ichika apologized. "I'm Ichika Orimura and I go by ByankushiiDude. Would you happen to be Akkino, by any chance?"

"Yep, that's me! I'm Akkino!" Akkino answered with a grin. "This is your first time in EDEN, right?" Ichika nodded in response "My real name is Nokia Shiramine! Hello! Nice-to-meet-you!" Both her and Ichika shook hands after introducing themselves before she pulls him closer and yelled in his face. "NOOOT!"

"Yikes!" Ichika jumps back with white dotted eyes.

"You're late! What were you doing?!" Nokia snarled as she glared at Icika "Leaving me all alone in such a dangerous place. How do you feel if you were in my shoes?"

"I don't think I'll fit in your shoes." Ichka blinked. "Your feet are kinda small compared to mine. Plus, I don't think heels really suit me." He regained his composure. "By the way, have you see Blue Box anywhere? He's the only one not here yet."

"You're asking if Blue Box has shown up yet?" Nokia asked with a frown. "Oh, he showed up all right. But what does that even matter?" Ichika just sweat drops as she continues on ranting. "Like, can you believe this? He all, "Oh, I've got to go and find the ghost," and all of a sudden he's running off by himself. That's how he rolls, apparently! 100% full of himself! Thinks he's all that just because he's got good looks or whatever."

'Sheesh, and I thought Houki and Ling had short fuses…' Ichika thought with a sweat drop.

"And so like, what? The Ghost of the Pale Boy?" Nokia continued with puffed up cheeks. "I've heard the rumors but don't know the details. What does he plan to do if he finds it? I mean, ghosts in cyberspace? That's unscientific! It doesn't even make any sense! Not that I'm scared or noth—" Unknown to her, someone in a hood comes up behind her and made spooky noises.

"Boo!" The hooded person yelled.

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" Nokia screamed at the top of her lungs and latched onto Ichika as he felt her breasts pressing against him.

"Whoa, easy. Overreacting a bit there, aren't we?" The hooded person asked rudely before taking off his hood. "Hmm…I'm not interrupting something, am I?"

"Huh?" Both Ichika and Nokia blinked before realizing the position they're in. "AHH!" They both jumped back while blushing brightly.

"Oh, jeez, Arata. It's just you." Nokia wheezed. "I… I thought you were a ghost."

"Sheesh. You don't have to act all tough by coming to a place like this if you're chicken, ya know." Arata said coldly.

"Hey now! You're the one who ditched me in that "place like this," Arata, you slimy little no-good—" Nokia was about to say before Arata stoped her.

"Oh, just shut your trap." Arata rudely said "Anyhow…" He turns to Ichika who regained his composure. "We've never met here before, have we? I'm Arata Sanada. Nice to meet you and all that."

"Yeah, same here, Arata." Ichika smiled "I'm Ichika Orimura, nice to meet you as well."

"Ichika… Orimura?" Arata raised an eyebrow as he looked at Ichika carefully. 'That name… sounded familiar…'

"Hey now, that's not a proper introduction!" Nokia stepped in "You must've put two and two together by now, but this is the person behind Blue Box! He's not what you imagined, is he? In the chat, he's kind and considerate, like a reliable big-brother figure, right? When I first met him, I was really weirded out! He's surly, self-absorbed, he's got this weird look in his eye… I mean, talk about a waste of good looks, amirite?"

"Leave the stupidity for later, okay?" Arata asked with a sneer while Ichika just sweat drops. "So, while I was waiting for Ichika, I took a little look around. I thought that "Mr. Navit" fellow who called us here might be around."

"What?! I thought you were looking for a ghost!" Nokia screeched.

"Well, I was doing a little of that too." Arata said in a matter of fact. "But in the end, I found neither. Rather, there wasn't anyone around to be found. You'd think there'd be one or two hackers in an area like Kowloon, no matter how dangerous it is." Before anyone could get a word in, their Digivices all rang at the same time and made them jump in surprise.

"Whoa, that surprised me!" Nokia gawked. "But it looks like someone's trying to call us from our Digivices. Should we answer them?"

"We might as well answer." Arata answered her with a frown. "If we're going to get some answers here, then we've got no choice in the matter."

"I have to agree with Arata." Ichika agrees "That's the reason why the three of us came here in the first place, to find out about this "gift" we were promised if we came to Kowloon. We'll have to be ready for whatever they have planned for us." Both Arata and Nokia nodded in agreement as they answered their Digivices when Mr. Navit appears on the screen.

"So very sorry to keep you waiting. I'm Mr. Navit!" Mr. Navit said cheerfully "I've got something for all you good boys and girls who showed up here today! This is the miraculous power to change the world!" For a brief moment, everything started to static and covered the trio.

"Huh? Wha? What is this?" Nokia asked in panic.

"It's hacking! We've all been hacked!" Arata answered with a snarl.

"No good! This was a trap for us to be hacked in!" Ichika tensed. "So now what's going to happen next?" Before anyone could answer, they all heard a chime from their Digivices.

"A new program has been installed: Digimon Capture!" The Digivice said.

"Whoa. This Mr Navit fellow is no slouch. He broke through my firewall like it was nothing." Arata said with a bit of impressed expressions.

"Digimon… Capture?" Nokia asked slowly in confusion.

"It's a hacking tool that's been making the rounds with hackers lately." Arata answered her.

"Wait, so when you say "Digimon," you mean like, "Digimon" Digimon?!" Nokia asked again with wide eyes.

"Yes, those Digimon. The ones you're so interested in." Arata answered as he brings out three screen panels. "Hmm… There's a certain kind of data known as "Digital Monsters" that you "capture" by scanning, this thing says. Ah, so "Digimon" IS short for "Digital Monsters"." He deactivates the panels.

"What? Whoa, hey, hang on!" Nokia interjected as she confronted Arata "Digimon are like, nasty programs that hackers use, right? So then, so then, so then… That means… Have we become hackers?!"

"Well, I suppose you could put it that way." Arata answered with a shrug "Well, it's no big deal. Hackers are nothing out of the ordinary nowadays."

"I get what you're trying to say, but you didn't have to put it so bluntly, Arata." Ichika said with a deadpan face "What do you think other people might think now that we're hackers? They might just see us as nothing more than troublemakers who hack into people's accounts for kicks."

"Yeah, what Ichika said!" Nokia agrees with a frantic nod. "So, no way! Nuh-un! Hackers are bad news! I am NOT doing this! I don't want any part of this! I'm going to delete this program!" She takes out her Digivice and tries to delete the Digimon Capture feature, but nothing happened. "Aw, what? No way, you've got to be kidding me! I can't uninstall this thing?!"

"Leave it be. The program's protected." Arata told her coldly. "Who knows what'll happen if you force-delete it."

"Eep! Wh-What do you mean?" Nokia gawked as they tried to figure something out. Unknown to them, someone was watching them until Ichika turns around and spots him.

"Hey, you!" Ichika called out as the figure runs away. "Damn, he got away! So was that Mr. Navit or could it be the ghost everyone's talking about?"

"Don't let him get away!" Arata shouted as he runs off after the figure.

"Arata, hold up! Why are we chasing him?" Nokia asked in confusion. "I… I'm out of here! I am going home, you hear!" As soon as she turned around, there was a firewall blocking the path out. "Wh-What is this? It wasn't here before. What's it doing here? Did some hacker do this too? Is… Is this telling us to keep going onward? Are they not letting us go back home?"

"It would seems that way." Ichika answered her with a serious frown. "Whoever put this firewall here didn't want us to leave for some reason. And if I had to guess, they might've know we'd try to leave here and put this up to keep us in."

"So…does that mean…we're stuck here forever?" Nokia asked in fright. "Are we really going to stay in this place for all eternity?" She slumps onto the floor as she begins to cry until she felt Ichika's hand on her shoulder.

"Not on my watch, we won't." Ichika reassured her with a kind smile. "I'll find us a way out of here if it's the last thing I do. I'm not going to let my friends down like this, I'll figure something out."

"Ichika…" Nokia whispered in awe.

"Now, come on. Let's get find a way out of here." Ichika told her. "We might find an exit if we look around more. Plus, Arata could be in trouble. Let's go after him."

"No. I'm not going. I won't." Nokia said as Ichika felt sorry for her.

"Ok, then I won't stop you." Ichika agrees with her "I'll keep going forward until I find something. If I find an exit, I'll let you know." Nokia said nothing as Ichika ran down the same path as Arata and the hooded figure.

* * *

Not long after leaving Nokia behind, Ichika ventured deeper into Kowloon down the same path Arata and the hooded figure ran off to. As he ventured forward, he finds himself in a new area of Kowloon that seems to stretch far back than he thought.

"Whoa, this is new…" Ichika muttered in confusion as he looked around. "I didn't think the path would lead this way. I wonder if this area in Kowloon stretches all the way through here? This place sure is a lot different from the other cyberspace areas on the upper part of the EDEN Network." He looks around for Arata, but there was no sign of him. "And no trace of Arata here either. He must've gone further inside." He then sighs in annoyance. "I'd better be careful here, who knows what could be lurking around." He starts walking forward as he searches for his friend and the exit.

Once he got his sights on his goal, Ichika starts his trek through the deeper parts of Kowloon to find Arata and an exit for them to get back home. As he rounds a corner into a branching pathway that continues forward and leads to a dead end, Ichika spotted a white figure in the distances before it vanishes.

"Wha? What was that?" Ichika asked in confusion. "Did I just see a ghost in cyberspace? That can't be possible, could it?" Suddenly, he felt a presence going down further into Kowloon as he looks to his right. "What was that? Was someone calling me just now?" Just then, he felt the same feeling as before when he was hacked before falling onto his knees and passing out.

After passing out, Ichika started having a vision about the same white figure he saw before. He looks ahead of him to see the future again until his vision started to short-circuit as the figure vanished again before reappearing in front of him and back down the path again and in front of him again before falling on the floor and blacking out again. Ichika opens his eyes again to see the figure looking down at him where he could see its face and can make it out to be male. The boy then reached out his hand and placing it on Ichka's face as everything goes dark again. Suddenly, an unknown language appears in front of him before he finds himself back in Kowloon, wondering what he just saw.

"What the hell was that?" Ichika wondered in confusion and shock. "Was that some kind of vision? And who was that boy?" He shook his head "I guess Kowloon's really as dangerous as they say it is. Who knows what might've happened here?" He shakes his head again to regain his composure. "I can't think about that, I need to hurry up, find Arata and get out of here." Before he could continue on, he sees someone in a white outfit walking towards him before stopping in his tracks. "Wha?! Wh-Who are you?"

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." The boy said in concern.

"No…it couldn't be…" Ichika said in shock as he looked at the boy carefully. "I just saw a ghost that looked like you not too long ago!"

"You saw a ghost that looked like me?" The boy asked and Ichika nodded "If that's true, that ghost might have been me. Some call me the "Wraith of EDEN". They say I am not of this world."

"What do you mean by "not of this world"?" Ichika asked in confusion.

"The truth is simply that I'm rather elusive and tend to turn up unexpectedly. That's all." The boy answered as Ichika tilted his head in confusion. "Please, relax. I'm not a ghost. I am very real here in EDEN. I exist to guide those who are lost, like you."

"Those who are lost like me?" Ichika repeated with raised eyebrows.

"That's correct, consider me a guide, if you will." The boy answered him. "Pardon me for saying this to you, but you've just had a program installed, Digimon Capture, which marks you as a hacker. But you are still merely a fledging hacker."

"Fledging hacker? What do you mean by that?" Ichika asked in confusion.

"It means you're not up to the same skill level as the more experienced hackers." The boy answered him as he explained that. "There are hackers with a verity of different goals here in EDEN. Chivalrous ones who find and report security holes. Thieves who steal accounts to rob money and data. Others are just out to prove their skills. Truly, a wide verity. What kind of hacker do you want to be?"

"What kind of hacker do I want to be?" Ichika repeated as he pondered this. "I've never really given it much thought about the idea. I was just dragged into this whole hacker thing with some friends of mine."

"I see." The boy nods "Then you are indeed a fledging if that is your only answer. Not even hatched from your egg yet. You're free to become a hacker, if you want. Or something else altogether. It's up to you. What led you to this is neither here nor there. You came here because you were interested in hacking, and now, because of that, you've got the "Digimon Capture" program, yes?" Ichika nodded "I would therefore recommend you give the remarkable power of these "Digimon" programs a try."

"I don't know, I'm not even used to this whole "Digimon Capture" thing yet." Ichika mumured uneasily. "But if this is the only way to get back home, then I'll do it. I'll use the "Digimon Capture" program as you recommended."

"Well said, my friend. That's fine." The boy smiled "Now, to commentate your birth as a fellow hacker-to-be… I shall present you with your first Digimon." He points behind Ichika "There, behind you. That is a Digimon program." Ichika turned around to find his first Digimon,

"Are you sure this Digimon program is here?" Ichika asked as he looked around for the Digimon. "I don't see it anywhere."

"Not to worry, he'll come as he's called." The boy said with a small smile. "Allow me to call for him. Agumon, you can come out now! I've found you a partner!" On his command, a small dinosaur comes out of his hiding place and spots both Ichika and the boy. The small dinosaur had a yellow body with bright green eyes, black pupils and red straps on his claws as he walks over to the duo.

"So this is the guy?" Agumon asked as he inspected Ichika. "He's the one that'll be my partner?"

"Whoa, he talks!" Ichika gawked "That little dinosaur guy just talked!"

"Yes, he's your new partner, Agumon." The boy answered with a nod. "He'll be the one who can help you get stronger and help you Digivolve. As long as you both work together as a team, I'm sure you'll both achieve things one of you alone couldn't do." Agumon nodded as he walks over to Ichika who was still amazed at what he's seeing.

"Hey there, my name's Agumon. It's nice to meet ya, Boss." Agumon greeted as Ichika regained his composure.

"Yeah, right back at you, Agumon." Ichika said with a smile. "My name is Ichika Orimura, but you can just call me Ichika. Of course, you don't have to call me Boss."

"Sorry, no can do, Boss." Agumon said with a chuckle. "He said that you're my partner, so you're Boss." Before Ichika could get a word in, the three of them heard a loud roar.

"Huh?! What was that sound? Was that a roar?" Ichika asked in shock.

"Not good, looks like we're in for a battle." The boy said with a frown. "One of the more aggressive Digimon has found us!"

"Wait, aggressive Digimon?!" Ichika gawked "What do you mean by aggressive?" He got his answer as a Digimon in a purple shell with six tentacles and glowing yellows eyes dropped down and started chasing Agumon. "Agumon!"

"Boss, help me!" Agumon called out while running away from his attacker.

"That can't be a good sign." The boy said, still frowning. "This Digimon I prepared for you went and ran away! Oh well, there are plenty of other Digimon you can use. We'll find another… wait just a moment. That did surprise me, though, for a Digimon as tough as that one to appear in this area. Could have been released as a bad joke by a low-level hacker, or as an attack on me by someone."

"Now is not the time to be thinking about that, we've got to go after them!" Ichika reasoned.

"What's that? You want to go after it? You want a powerful Digimon like that?" The boy asked him before frowning "No. You couldn't handle it. Forget about it."

"No, I don't mean the big one! I mean Agumon!" Ichika said with an angry frown "I'm worried that something bad might happen to him if that thing catches him!"

"What's that? You're… concerned about the Digimon being chased?" The boy asked again and Ichika nodded "You really are a curious one. Still, that's all the more reason to leave it be. You'd look foolish if you got hurt interfering in a fight between two mere programs."

"I can't believe you'd say such a thing about Agumon..." Ichika glared at him angrily. "Our time together may have been brief, but I knew for a fact he was no mere program! I don't care what you say about him, I have to go help him from that other Digimon!"

"If that's what you want, then you should do it." The boy said with a sigh. "Chase after it, if that's your decision." Ichika nods in agreement as he chases after the two Digimon.

* * *

As he enters the next area, there was Agumon cornered by the other Digimon and was closing in. Ichika jumps between them to block the other Digimon from getting even closer to Agumon.

"Boss, you're here! You really came to save me!" Agumon said in gratitude.

"Yeah, I'm here, Agumon." Ichika smiled "I couldn't just let my friend be picked on like this, that's not how I roll. Just stay behind me and I'll take care of this guy." He turns to face the Digimon as he tries to intimidate it. "Hey ugly, why don't you pick on someone your own size!" The Digimon just roared at him and made him step back a bit before regaining his composure. "On please, I've seen the boogie man has a better roar than you!" That made the Digimon even madder and was about to attack him.

"Oh boy. You really ARE new at this." A familiar voice said with a sigh "Do you intend to face off against a Digital Monster unarmed?"

"Wait, I know that voice." Ichika gasped as he looks to his left. "It's you again!"

"You truly are curious." The boy said with a small smile "No… You're just a soft touch. That's all."

"Well, I've been called worse." Ichika smiled "I've been called dense, idiot, pervert and stupid, among other things. And that's from my friends I know back in school."

"Heh, I see." The boy said with a small chuckle. "What a coincidence. I am both those things as well. Just this once, allow me to aid you. You, um, needn't do anything for the moment. Watch and learn. This is how a real hacker uses their skills." He snaps his fingers and on his command, a massive mechanical dinosaur appeared next to him.

"Whoa, you've got a Digimon too?!" Ichika gawked "And it's already that powerful?"

"Yes, that's right." The boy answered "I've had this one far longer and he's became my most trusted partner. Now you two stand back while we handle this." The mechanical Digimon nodded in agreement as it relies itself for battle until Agumon stands beside them.

"Hey, I'm not backing down from this fight!" Agumon said in determination. "I can't risk Boss getting hurt for protecting me, so I'm going to do the same! It's fighting time!"

"Agumon…" Ichika gasped before smiling. "Yeah, I'm with you! Now let's give this creep a beating together, Agumon! It's fighting time!" Agumon nodded in agreement as he relies himself for battle.

"Well, it seems it wants fight with you." The boy said with a smile. "It may have been something of an ordeal, but that Digimon is now yours. Instruct it as you will, and master the program." Both Ichika and Agumon looked at each other for a brief moment before they nodded in agreement as both sides got into battle stance.

"Pepper Breath!" Agumon yelled as he spit out a fireball at the Digimon named Chrysalimon, giving him small damage. Chrysalimon got angry as he lashed his tentacles at Agumon, but he swiftly evaded them.

"Awesome…" Ichika muttered in awe. 'I never knew Digimon can be this amazing. I can tell Agumon and I are gonna be great friends.'

"I see you have taken a liken to your Digimon partner." The boy smiled before he got serious. "But let's make this battle quick. Machineidramon!"

"Yes sir! Giga Cannon!" Machinedramon yelled as the two cannons on its back fired a devastating blast at Chrysalimon, instantly deleting it.

* * *

After Chrysalimon was deleted from Machinedramon's Giga Cannon, both Ichika and Agumon breathed a sigh of relief as they were able to delete Chrysalimon together. The two friends looked at each other for a few seconds before they high five.

"Boss, we did it! We won!" Agumon cheered "We were able to beat the data out of that creep and send him packing!"

"Yeah, we sure did, Agumon!" Ichika agrees "We really showed that Digimon not to mess with us. I have a feeling we'll be great friends and the best partners we could ever ask for." Agumon nodded in agreement as they fist bumped each other, accepting their new friendship. Not too far, the boy and Machinedramon were watching them.

"Amazing, I didn't think it was possible." The boy said in awe. "It's very rare to obtain a Digimon without scanning it through Digimon Capture. What's more, for a program to like a person…" He continues to watch the two friends as they still celebrated their victory over Chryilamon. "Everything about this is odd. You'll probably be an "irregular" element among hackers." Both Ichika and Agumon turned towards him. "Anyway, you are free from your shell now. The rest is up to you. I shall take my leave now." He turns around and was about to be o his way until Ichka stopped him.

"Wait, hold on just a moment!" Ichika called out "I'm looking for another friend of mine who ran down this way. Have you seen a young man with a nasty look in his eyes?"

"A young man with a nasty look in his eyes?" The boy repeated before he figured out what he meant. "Ah, the other "irregular" one. Him?"

"Yeah, that's him." Ichika answered with a nod "He was running down this way to chase after someone who was spying on us not too long ago. But when I came here to find him, I lost him."

"Ah, I see." The boy nods "Your friend was headed to that area over there." He points to the path further into Kowloon. "That used to be the old EDEN entrance area. The remains of EDEN's creation. Its forgotten dregs. Proof of that lies in the fact an original logout zone remains there, untouched."

"Wow, I had no idea…" Ichika muttered in astonishment. "So that used to be where people could enter EDEN, but now it's been abandoned for some time now?"

"Yes, that's correct." The boy answered him with a nod. "It's also lock-protected and can't be used, but a hacker could probably deal with said lock." Ichika just stayed silent while still looking down the path. "Yes, if you wanted to leave this place, it would be a good idea to use that logout zone. That boy should be able to unlock it in a snap. As long as his skills haven't waned, that is."

"Waned? What do you mean by that?" Ichika asked in confusion.

"Why are you surprised?" The boy asked back "Don't tell me… He hasn't told you?"

"Hasn't told me what? Are you saying he's got something to hide?" Ichika asked again, still confused about the boy's words.

"I see, so he really hasn't told you…" The boy said, understanding the situation. "In that case, it is not my story to tell. It's better to hear it directly from him." Ichika just stayed silent as he turns in the other direction.

"But what about you? I still don't even know your name." Ichika interjected. "Could you at least tell me that?"

"That's right, I haven't introduce myself." The boy said with a smile, remembering that it is always polite to introduce yourself to others. "Since this may not be the last time we'll meet, I'll tell you my name. I am Yuugo. Yuugo of Team Zaxon. If you want to become a top-tier hacker, then you should seek us out. Our doors are always open to you."

"Sure, I'll keep that in mind, Yuugo." Ichika smiled "My name is Ichika Orimura, but just call me Ichika. Although, I'm sure you probably already know that since I introduced myself to Agumon a while ago."

"Yes, that I did." Yuugo smiled back "Still, it's a pleasure to meet you, Ichika-kun. I hope our paths will cross again someday." He and Machinedramon started walking from the duo until they vanished from sight.

"Okay, that was still weird." Ichika muttered. "How did Yuugo knew where to find me when I clearly saw him in my vision? And more importantly, what does he mean about Arata being a hacker?" He shook his head to brush off those thoughts. "Oh well, no sense in thinking up conspiracy theories. Anyway, he said Arata was heading to that area over there. And there's supposed to be an old logout zone there. We might be able to log out from there. I'd better head back and get Nokia."

"Hey Boss, are we going to search for your friend?" Agumon asked.

"Yeah, but there's something else I need to do first." Ichika answered "There's another friend of mine back at the entrance and she's probably getting hysterical by now. Since we now know the location of the exit, we'd better head back for her before anything bad happens."

"Ok, then lead the way, Boss." Agumon nods "If there's any one that gets in our way, just leave them to me. I'll beat the data out of them like we did to Chrysalimon." Ichika nodded in agreement as they raced back to Galacta Park for Nokia.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

Nokia was now walking down the same pathway as Ichika and Arata took and looking for them. She stopped at a dead end while looking for the two boys, but couldn't find them anywhere. She was also starting to feel worried as she looked around her, but still no sign of them.

"Where did those two go?" Nokia asked in worry "L-Like, could hackers have maybe—" As she was thinking, she heard footsteps and made her gasp in surprise. She looked ahead of her as she started hearing voices.

"Quickly!" The first voice shouted as two Digimon came running out of one hiding spot and into another.

"Hey! Waaait!" The second voice called out until he saw Nokia and skidded to a halt.

The first Digimon peeked around the corner and looked at Nokia. "Quietly…" Right after him, the second Digimon picked around the corner while leaning on the first Digimon while looking at Nokia. "Uwah!"

* * *

 **Back with Ichka and Agumon**

* * *

The duo were walking back to Galacta Park for Nokia to lead her to the exit and continue with their search for Arata soon after. While they were walking back, Ichika was telling Agumon about his life in the real world where he's enrolled in a school surrounded by girls because he's one of the few men who can pilot an IS. And his seven friends who are also fighting for his affection at any given time of day.

"Wow, sounds like you had it rough, Boss." Agumon winced. "I had no idea all these girls were trying to get your attention because you're the only guy who can fly this IS doohickey. I guess they've been trying to get your affection for a long time."

"Trust me, that's the least of my worries." Ichika sighed sadly. "I know they've been trying to get my attention, but I think my feelings have been shifting for Char. I did say to her that I'll protect her from her father, but I've been starting to have these feelings for her. The problem is that I'm afraid to hurt the other's feelings if I gave them my answer and I don't want to see them sad."

"Wow, that is a tough call." Agumon nods in understanding. "So what do you plan to do once you finally tell them your feelings for this Char person?" Before Ichika could answer, they heard a loud scream.

"Aaaaaaah!" Nokia screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Whoa, what was that? Was someone screaming?" Agumon asked in shock.

"It's Nokia, she must be in trouble!" Ichika answered him, tensed. "Come on, Agumon! We have to go save her!"

"You got it, Boss!" Agumon nodded in agreement as they rushed over to help Nokia. When they got there, they found her with two Digimon running around her. The first Digimon is another Agumon, but without the red straps on his claws. The second Digimon was more like a wolf with a long horn on his head, red eyes, light and dark blue fur, yellow underbelly and a sky blue and purple pattern on his stomach.

"Aaah! Aaah!? What, what, what are you!?" Nokia yelled as the two Digimon stopped running and looked up at her.

"Umm, who are you?" The first Digimon asked curiously.

"It… It can talk?!" Nokia gawked before her eyes turned in sparkles and she squealed "It's so… so… so adoooooorible! M-M-M-M-My name is Nokia. What're your names?"

"Me? My name is Agumon." The other Agumon answered with a smile.

"I… I'm Gabumon." Gabumon answered as well, but timidly.

"Whoa, there's another Agumon?" Ichika gasped in shock "I didn't think there'd be two of the same Digimon." He looks at his Agumon and the Agumon with Nokia. "Of course, the only difference I can see between you and him are those straps on your claws and you're a little more bigger. While he doesn't have the straps and is smaller than you."

"Yeah, you're right, Boss." Agumon agrees "I wonder why I'm different from him?" Both him and Ichika continued to watch Nokia gush over the other Agumon and Gabumon.

"Agumon and Gabumon?" Nokia repeated before laughing slightly. "Hee hee! What weird names!"

"Hey, they're not weird!" Gabumon whined.

"You're the one with the weird name!" The other Agumon agrees.

"As if! My name's not weird! Hee hee!" Nokia smirked.

"Huh?" The other Agumon blinked while Gabumon stayed silent.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Nokia asked in confusion. "Have my totes adorbs good looks stunned you speechless?" Just then, she realized both Digimon were sniffing her.

"I can smell something. Something… familiar." Agumon #2 said, in deep thought.

"Wait, what? Me?" Nokia blinked in confusion.

"Yeah. Familiar and reassuring." Gabumon answered and agreeing with the other Agumon.

"Uh, what? Come on, this is kind of embarrassing!" Nokia blushed "Oh, sorry! Guess my naturally alluring pheromones are working full-time today." Both Ichika and his Agumon sweat dropped from her statement.

"Ahaha! See, you ARE weird!" The other Agumon laughed.

"Hey, Nokia!" Ichika called out as he rushed over to her.

"Oh, Ichika! Where the heck have you been?!" Nokia asked. Before Ichika could answer, Gabumon hid behind the other Agumon.

"Yikes! It's… It's another scary person!" Gabumon yelled in fright.

"I'm sick of being chased around. Run away!" The other Agumon also yelled and were about to run until Nokia tried to stop them.

"Hey! Calm down! He's a friend of mine!" Nokia reasoned., but it was too late as they took off running. "Aw, shucks! They're gone. Just what were those cute little critters?" She shook her head before turning to face Ichika. "But never mind that. Who's that with you?"

"Oh, this guy here?" Ichika pointed to Agumon. "This is Agumon, he's my partner. He's also a Digimon." Agumon nodded in agreement while waving at Nokia.

"That… That's a Digimon?!" Nokia gawked "Then those little cuties were Digimon too?!" Both Ichika and Agumon nodded "But… Both those Digimon and this one here… They don't seem like bad programs."

"That's the thing, I don't really see them as programs." Ichika smiled "From the first moment I met Agumon, I didn't see a program, but somehow who's just as alive as I am. We've even been through our first battle and we come on top by working together as a team." Both him and Agumon fist bumped each other again as it shows how close they really are in just a short amount of time.

"Wow, that's awesome, Ichika." Nokia smiled. "You two look like really close friends, like you've been together for years. I can really see the close bond you two have with each other." Both Ichika and Agumon nodded as she thought of something else. "Digimon, huh? Having cute critters like them around could be pretty okay. Maybe this Digimon Capture thing won't be so bad after all."

"Maybe, but I'd be more careful, if I were you." Ichika advised her with a serious frown. "Aside from Agumon and those other two, there are also some Digimon who're really nasty and aggressive like the one we fought not too long ago. We ran into one before and that's how we got into our first battle." Agumon nodded in agreement.

"What?! There was a wild violent Digimon too?!" Nokia gasped in shock, showing the white dotted eyed look. "Whatever it was sounds super-duper scary!" Both Ichika and Agumon nodded.

"Trust us, that's the least of our worries." Ichika said seriously, frowning in serious mode. "And that's not all, I've just found out that Arata's further down not too far fro here."

"Wait, so Arata's in the area through there?" Nokia asked as hope returned to her. "I'll go with you. Let's go find him ASAP!" Both Ichika and Agumon nodded in agreement as the trio raced to Arata's location.

"Nokia, it could be dangerous for you to be out front." Ichika advised. " If we run into other Digimon, stay behind us. We'll handle anything that gets in our way."

"Yeah, what Boss said!" Agumon agrees "I'll beat the data out of them if they even think of getting close to Boss or his friends!"

"Ichika… Agumon…" Nokia whispered softly before smiling. "Okay, I'm leaving this to you two. I'll be right behind you two cheering!" Both Ichika and Agumon nodded in agreement as they continued on.

* * *

After dealing with some wild Digimon and scanning them with the Digimon Capture, Ichika, Agumon and Nokia made it to the end of the pathway, but stopped in their tracks as Nokia begins to remember something.

"Hmmm… Something feels really strange." Nokia murmured as she thought about something. "Like this all happened before when I was a kid. It's like I've met you and Arata before…"

"Are you sure about that, Nokia?" Ichika asked in confusion. "I'm sure you mean like how we met yesterday in the chatroom."

"No. Not like we had met yesterday in chat or anything like that." Nokia shook her head no "Huh? Like, maybe… Yeah, maybe… Something's strange." Before anyone could say anything, another static happened and it showed them another vision. In this vision, there was a circle of five kids all looking at each other before it vanished. "What… What was that?! Did… Did you see it?!"

"Yeah, I saw it, all right." Ichika answered, confused and shocked about this. "It looked like a bunch of kids in a circle together. But there's something about that feels familiar somehow… I don't know why, but it's almost like I know them."

"Again with the hacking?!" Nokia gawked before she growled in fury. "Honesty! What is WITH this place?!" She shook her head and regained her composure. "Let's go! Arata should be up ahead, right?" She started walking ahead while Ichika just sweat dropped.

"Man, and I thought Houki was like that..." Ichika muttered "I guess we could worry about that vision later, Arata's more important right now. Let's go, Agumon."

"Right behind ya, Boss." Agumon nodded as they followed behind Nokia. Unknown to them, a familiar silhouette was watching them continue on before the static happened again and he vanished.

* * *

At the logout zone, Arata was standing by himself while looking at an old terminal in the center of the platform after losing the person he was chasing before and seems to have given him the slip.

"What was that image just now?" Arata asked himself in shock. "A child? I am SO weirded out. Darn it, I wanna know what that was!" He sweat dropped before he shook his head to clear his thoughts. Whoa… This really does not feel right."

"Ahhhhhhh! There it is! There!" Nokia pointed to the terminal at the top of the stairs. "Hang on! Hey! You're running off by yourself?! You can't just think about yourself, ya know!" As she, Ichika and Agumon were about to approach Arata, the static happened again and causes them to look up.

A massive symbol in the shape of a shell appeared about them as it started glowing brightly. Tentacles were emerging from the symbol until its entire body came out and reveled itself to Ichika and his friends as it resembles a cuttlefish or any kind of octopi. The mysterious creature has its sights on Ichika and his friends who were still stunned at what they just saw.

"What the hell..?" Was all Ichika could say.

"What… What… is this?" Nokia pointed at the creature fearfully.

"What's that? Is that another Digimon?" Arata asked before he realized something "It can't be! The "Black Monster of EDEN" people have been talking about? They say it devours your data."

"Devours your data?!" Ichika yelled out in shock.

"You guys, this way! Run!" Arata called out to them "Whatever this thing is, it's a real menace, that's for sure! I'll break through the lock on this thing! Log out, then get away as fast as you can!" He rushes over to the terminal and activates his panels to hack into it. Ichika took his world and ran, but Nokia was still frozen in fear. "Hey, I told you to run, didn't I? Go on, get out of here!"

"Uh… Ooh… Um…" Was all Nokia could say as she still can't move.

"Hey!" Arata called out to her, but still no answer. The creature was getting closer to Nokia and as its tentacles were about to grab her, the other Agumon and Gabumon jumped in-between them to protect her.

"H-Hey… It's you guys again!" Nokia gasped.

"We'll protect you, Nokia!" Agumon #2 said bravely.

"Nokia! G-Get out of here!" Gabumon instructed.

"They're going to need some help against that thing." Ichika tensed "I don't know what that is, but it could be dangerous if it gets to close." He turns to his partner. "Agumon, you read for another battle?"

"I'm always ready, Boss! It's fighting time!" Agumon nodded as he joins his fellow Digimon and got into battle stance.

"Pepper Breath!" Both Ichika's Agumon and Agumon #2 yelled as they both spit out fire on the monster, but when they connected, it fizzled out.

"W-What the heck?! Our attacks didn't do anything!" Ichika's Agumon gawked.

"Um, uh… Blue Blaster!" Gabumon breathed out a blue flame on the creature, but like with before, the attack fizzled out.

"Houston… we have a problem." Ichika grimaced as the creature tried to lash its tentacles at the Digimon both they dodged out of the way.

"Let's try again! Pepper Breath!" Ichika's Agumon used his attack on the creature, but it did not effect. "Boss! What do we do?!"

"Hang on, I'll think of something!" Ichika answered as he stepped back. "None of their attacks are effecting this this. There's got to be some way we could delete this thing!" As he tries to come up with a plan, the monster started getting closer as it extended its tentacles while the three Digimon backed off.

"What should we do? It's too strong!" Gabumon wailed.

"!… Why am I so weak?" Agumon #2 asked himself sadly "We have to protect Nokia and the others!"

"No…it can't end like this…" Ichika's Agumon stood firm and filled with determination. "I promised myself that I'll protect Boss with my life and I meant it!" He stops in his tracks and holds his ground. "I'm not going to let this thing hurt Boss or his friends! Pepper Breath!" He fires his attack again at the monster, but like before, it fizzles out.

"Damn, Agumon's attack still didn't scratch it!" Ichika cursed "It must have a weak point somewhere, everything does! I hope Arata has gotten that terminal working in time." He looked behind to see Nokia still watching them fight the monster while Arata's still working on the terminal. A few seconds later, Arata deactivated the panels and turned to his friends.

"Okay! The lock is taken care of. You can log out!" Arata yelled. "Come on, Nokia! Hurry!"

"But what about them?!" Nokia asked.

"Don't you get it? You're holding them back!" Arata shouted with a snarl. "They can't do anything until you get away!"

"Huh?!" Nokia gasped as she heads for the terminal and logged out.

"Ichika!" Arata called out "Nokia logged out! I'll go next! You hurry on after us, okay!?"

"Got it, I'll be right behind you two!" Ichika called back as Arata rushed to the terminal and logged out. As soon as Arata logged out, he makes a mad dash for the terminal with the monster close behind until he loses balance and falls onto the floor.

"Boss! Hang on, I'm coming!" Ichika's Agumon shouted as he rushes over to save his partner. "Hey ugly, you leave him alone! Pepper Breath!" He fires his fireball in-between Ichika and the monster, blocking its path for a short moment.

"Agumon! Thanks for the save, buddy." Ichika smiled before looking at the monster with a serious frown. "But what are going to do about this thing? None of your attacks seems to hurt it. We've got to come up with another plan."

"Boss, put me inside your Digivice!" Agumon suggested. "With me inside your Digivice, I can protect you from that thing! That way, I'll always be right beside you when you need me!"

"Are you sure, Agumon?" Ichika asked in concern "Are you certain I should place you inside my Digivice? For all we know, it could fail and we'll both be in trouble!"

"It's the only chance we've got, Boss!" Agumon reasoned "If we don't do this right, then we're both done for!" Ichika thinks about it for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"Ok, let's do this, Agumon." Ichika nods as he takes off his goggles from his head and holds it in front of Agumon as he was converted into data and was absorbed into the goggles. "Hey, it worked! It really worked!" He looks in front of him to see the monster getting closer. "Uh-oh, now's not the time to think about that! I gotta get out of here!" He gets back on his feet and races towards the terminal again, but he lost his footing as the creature's tentacles came into contact with his leg. He reaches for the terminal with all his might until everything went black. Suddenly, the static appeared again as several voices were heard saying "Find us…" until the static stopped again.

Just then, there was a message on Ichika's Digivice. "—Warning. An unexpected error occurred during the logout process of Ichika Orimura— The logout process cannot continue… … … The logout process cannot continue… … … The logout process cannot continue… … … … … … The logout process will continue." A few seconds later, a chime was heard. "Logout successful. See you at your next login. Thank you. EDEN is a human network connecting the world to the future, run by Kamishino Enterprises."

* * *

Just then, a car horn was heard as Ichika started to regain his composure. As he opens his eyes, he friends himself in the middle of a street as several people were all looking at him and couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"Um, excuse me… Isn't that dangerous?" A young woman asked in shock.

"What's up with this kid? Yikes…" A man made a disgusted grunt as Ichika realized what they were talking about and looked at himself, he was nothing but data.

"You there!" A voice shouted haughtily "What's with making such a scene in broad daylight? You want me to arrest you? Do you?!"

"Um, officer! Over here!" A young man called out as a policewoman enters the scene.

"Who are you calling a police officer?" The policewoman yelled as an anger vein appeared on her forehead. "I'm a detective! Don't judge a book by its cover! I'll arrest you!" She turns her attention to Ichika's data body. "What? Huh? What the…? What is that?! What's going on? Urgh, that's gross! So gross I'm going to arrest you! Right here on the spot!" As she walks closer to Ichika to arrest him, a silver car comes speeding down the road before swerving to a stop next to Ichika.

The passenger door opens to reveal a woman in driver's side of the car as she looks at Ichika. "You have an interesting appearance… I am very curious." The woman had long blonde hair that reaches to her mid back with her right bang longer than her left, a white shirt that shows her cleavage, a black sweater tied around her waist, black skirt and magenta sunglasses. "Handle it! Before it gets worse!" Ichika jumps into her car as she speeds way with the people still watching.

"Aaaahhhh! Stop that car! I'll arrest you! Wait?! Argh?!" The policewoman shouted as the car speeds down the road into the distance.

And thus, a tale about friendship between human and Digimon has begun.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next chapter: Birth of the Cyber Sleuth Ichika! Enter the Kuremi Detective Agency and the Mysterious EDEN Syndrome!**

 **A/n: How is that? Not bad for a new story's first chapter. Anyway, next chapter will have Ichika meeting Kyoko Kuremi, Satoru Kuremi and Twoelre from Gonna be the Twin-Tail. And when Ichika visits the hospital, he is shocked to see what has happened to him during the escape from Kwoloon. So stay tuned for more Digi updates.**


	2. Birth of the Cyber Sleuth Ichika!

**A/N: Looks like we're off to a good start. Now before I start this chapter, I would like to go over a few things. After this chapter will be the seven part mini-arc called IS Girls and Digimon Partners, it will focus on a IS girl who will receive their own partner Digimon. And after that will be filler chapters since I am planning to make this story the longest story ever than MegaMan X IS, it will feature three filler chapters before Ichika and the gang start on a case featuring anime characters whom Ichika and his friends meet and befriend. So without futher ado, here is Chapter 2 of Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth IS! But before that, here is an anime intro for Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth IS!**

 **(Joy to the World from Neo Angelique Abyss plays)**

 **We see Ichika in cyberspace with his eyes closed before he opened them with a smile as he held out his hand towards the screen as it zooms out and the title for the story appears in cyberspace.**

 **We see Ichika and his Agumon overlooking Tokyo with smiles. We see Houki at her family's shrine with Leomon beside her.**

 **We see Cecilia and Renamon having tea, then we see Ling and Gatomon playing video games in Ling's room at the IS Academy.**

 **We see Char and Biyomon cleaning their room, we see Laura, Gen, Wizardmon and Bearmon side by side in thought.**

 **We see the Sarashiki sisters hanging out with Monodramon and Palmon.**

 **We see Nokia, her two Digimon, her Agumon nicknamed Tai and Gabumon as a silhouette of a mysterious knight looking Digimon appeared behind them.**

 **We see Ichika and Arata walking past each other slowly**

 **We see Kyoko Kuremi smiling along with her cousin Satoru and Twoearle in the Kuremi Detective Agency.**

 **We see many anime characters in shadows.**

 **We see Yuuko with her back turned before she turned to the screen with a worried expression.**

 **We see Rie Kishba smiling calmly but sinisterly as a shadow of a mysterious pink knight looking Digimon appeared beside her.**

 **We see anime villains in shadows and next scene shows five kids, four who looked familiar playing in an unknown area**

 **We see Ichika clenching his hand as he looked at the screen and Connect Jump into an appliance.**

 **We see Ichika and GeoGreymon battling evil Digimon and Phantom Task agents in the real world, aided by Houki and Leomon, Cecilia and Kyubiimon, Ling and Gatomon, Char and Birdramon, Laura and Wizardmon, Tatenashi and Strikedramon and Kanazashi and Togemon. We then see Ichika and RizeGreymon battling Asch the Bloody and AxeKnightmon.**

 **We then see our heroes fighting the Eaters while our heroes are fighting alongside with Graham, his Digimon partner Guilmon, Robin and his Digimon partner, Falconmon, Whitney and her Digimon partner Hawkmon. Then Ichika's Agumon warp Digivolves into ShineGreymon to take the fight to the Eaters.**

 **We see Akemi Suedo grinning manically as three sinister looking Digimon appeared behind him in shadows with glowing red eyes.**

 **We see Mirei Mikagura smiling in the Digilab.**

 **We see the Ghost Boy in White looking at the screen.**

 **The final screen see Ichika and his seven friends along with Nokia, Satoru, Gen, Graham, Robin and Whitey smiling as the screen shows ShineGreymon and most of the heroes' Digimon partners in Mega forms in shadows while one of them is at Champion level**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Birth of the Cyber Sleuth Ichika! Enter the Kuremi Detective Agency and the Mysterious EDEN Syndrome!**

* * *

Not long after appearing in the middle of the street and being saved by this unknown woman, Ichika was wondering what had happened to him that caused his body to be nothing but data. As they were driving down the road, the woman decided to break the ice by asking him what had happened to him.

"I'm more used to strange phenomena than most…" The woman mused. "But I've never seen the likes of this before. Can you hear my voice? Are you able to speak?" Ichika nodded as she smiled "That's good. I wasn't sure what I was going to do if you weren't human."

"Well, thank you for helping me back there." Ichika said in gratitude. "I was worried that something might've happened to me if you haven't arrived when you did." He then started looking at his digitized body. "But now, I don't even know how did this even happened to me."

"I see. So you have no idea what is it that happened to you." The woman understands as Ichika nodded in response "If you have questions, ask them now. I'll answer whatever I can."

"Okay, I do have some questions for you." Ichika began his questions. "So where is this place we're in? It's not like any district I'm familiar with."

"You're in Shinjuku." The woman answered him. "I was out working, looking for something, when I came across you here. You might not believe that, but it's the truth. I'm heading to my agency's office in Nakano. You can tell me the details when we get there."

"Wait, I'm in Shinjuku?!" Ichka gasped in shock "How did I wind up here in Shinjuku of all places? I was still in my house when all that craziness happened!"

"I understand your present situation, but you need to calm down." The woman reasoned as she calms Ichika down. "Right now is not the time to be worrying about the details until we can come up with a more conclusive answer to your predicament. If you rush into this blindly, you won't get anywhere fast."

"You're right, I'm sorry for my outburst like that." Ichika apologized "I guess I was so caught up in wondering about my current situation that I wasn't thinking straight. I hope you can forgive me for that."

"It's alright, I'm sure you're just reacting how anyone in your position would react to." The woman smiled "Until we can find out what happened to your body, you'll have to take one step at a time." Ichika nodded "Now what's your second question? I'm assuming you'd want to know more about your situation, right?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Ichika remembered. "So for my second question, what happen to my body? I'm nothing but a walking stack of data."

"It looks like your body is in an extreme digital state, as if it were an cyberspace avatar, yet somehow here in the real world." The woman answered as she ponders this. "If that's true, then this is a very interesting phenomenon. Hmmmm."

"So basically I'm stuck like this until we find something relating to what happened to me?" Ichika asked, feeling a bit down.

"That's the gist of it, I suppose." The woman answered with a nod. "If this is your body now in a more digitized state, I can only imagine what might've happened to your real body."

"I'd rather not think about that." Ichika sighed in worry. "Now for my last question, do you know where my friends have gone?"

"No, there wasn't anyone else around. Just you." The woman answered him while shaking her head no. "You're wondering whether the same thing might've happened to your friends?"

"No, I'm sure they're alright." Ichika answered with a reassured tone. "They've managed to escape before all that craziness happened to me."

"I see…" The woman said as she nods in understanding. "I can't tell you to not worry about them, but your first priority should be taking care of yourself."

"Yeah, I suppose that makes sense." Ichika agrees with a nod. "Now for my real last question, who are you exactly? I feel like I know you from somewhere."

"Who am I? Ah, I haven't introduced myself yet." The woman smiled "I should have done that earlier, but you were such a curiosity that it completely slipped my mind. Sorry." She cleared her throat that while swiping her hair strand aside. "I'm Kyoko Kuremi. I'm just a humble detective and a childhood friend to Chifuyu Orimura."

"Wait, you knew my sister?!" Ichka gasped in shock "I thought you looked familiar, but I couldn't seem to remember you."

"That's understandable since you were still a small boy back when we were still in high school." Kyoko smiled "We can catch up on the details later, right now there's something more important to do and that's to restore your body back to normal." Ichika nodded in agreement as she continued to drive to their destination.

Not long after meeting with Kyoko Kuremi and knowing more about his situation, Ichika was now calm about what had happened to him, but he still needed to know about how to restore himself back to his original body. Kyoko recommended her detective agency to him as a way to find out what happened to his body becoming a giant clump of data and restoring him to his former self. Ichika accepted the offer and the two continued on towards their destination, Nakano Broadway.

After driving for a couple of minutes, Kyoko drives her car into a parking garage and parks in a reserved parking space for her. "Ok, here we are. This is where my agency's located and where we'll be helping you in your predicament, Ichika-kun." She opens her door and exits the car as Ichika did the same. "But if we're going to head inside, you'll need to cover yourself seeing as your body is nothing but data." Ichika looked at himself and knows she's right as she opens the trunk and takes out a cloak. "Here, wear this for now. It'll keep you covered up until we reach my office."

"Thanks again, Miss Kyoko." Ichika said in gratitude. "I don't really want to scare everyone here like I did back at Shinjuku. If you haven't arrived then, I don't think I'll ever hear the end of it from my friends." Both of them chuckled a little.

"I can tell they'll probably be worried sick about you." Kyoko smiled "Also, you don't have to be so formal. Just Kyoko is fine for me. You know, I have a cousin who's about your age right now. How old are you?"

"16, why?" Ichika asked in confusion.

"What a coincidence, my cousin just turned 15 last week." Kyoko answered with a smile. "I'm sure you two will be great friends, he can learn a lot from you. Come on, let's head for the office. They're probably still waiting for us." Ichika raised an eyebrow, but nodded in agreement as he follows her to the office.

* * *

 **Meanwhile...**

* * *

Inside the Kuremi Detective Agency, two people were clearing up most of the office. One was a young man around Ichika's age with shoulder length dark brown hair, green eyes behind his glasses and working on his laptop on a table in the center of the room. Unknown to him, there was also a girl sneaking up behind him with a glint in her eyes. She was about the same age as Ichika with silver hair that reaches down to her lower back, blue eyes, a white lab coat, black shirt, magenta skirt, two white belts and a noticeably large chest as she jumps into the air and lands right on the boy's lap.

"Satoru-kun, here I come!" The girl shouted pervertedly "I was able to clean up that side of the office in record time." She leans in closer to the boy's face. "Now we can have all the fun we want. So how about you get off your computer and play with me?"

"Twoearle, cut it out!" Satoru scolded her with an annoyed grunt. "You know this isn't the place for that! Kyoko-nee's going to be back any minute now and I don't want her walking in on us doing that in her office. Plus, there are people walking around Nakano and we can't have them complaining about all the noise."

"But doing that in the office just makes it all the more exciting!" Twoearle said with a smile. "Besides, she won't be back for another hour or so." She grabs his hands and places them on her breasts while lying him down on his back. "Which means we still have plenty of time for some hot, steamy fun." As she leans in and was about to kiss him, the door to the office opens as Kyoko and Ichika enters, only to stop in their tracks to see them about to do it.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." Kyoko said with a calm smile. "I guess I came back much too early. We'll leave you two alone for now." If they could see Ichika's face, he'd be blushing brightly while she closes the door.

"Wait, Kyoko-nee! This isn't what it looks like!" Satoru yelled frantically. "I wasn't planning on doing that to Twoearle in your office!" But it was too late as Kyoko closed the door and he was left hanging with his eyes becoming white dots.

* * *

After an hour of clearing up the misunderstanding, Ichika was finally able to explain about his situation to them. Ichika was sitting on the right sofa, both Satoru and Twoearle were on left one while Kyoko was at her desk as all three of them understood what had happened to him. Satoru and Twoearle were even amazed at Ichika's body being turned into data, yet could still see he was very much human.

"I see. You've got a good grasp on the situation." Kyoko nods.

"Yeah, that's how it all happened." Ichika said in agreement. "When I tried to get away from that…whatever it was, this happened to me and I ended up in Shinjuku where you found me."

"It makes a lot of sense when you think about it." Satoru stepped in "That place in Shinjuku, the one where you appeared when you logged out from cyberspace. It's the same, or very similar, to the place you logged in to EDEN at, isn't it?"

"No, it's not." Ichika shook his head no.

"Hmm…" Kyoko pondered as she scratched her chin. "Well, you're talking to us now, but it seems there's another body out there for you as well."

"Wait, another body?!" Ichika gasped in shock "What do you mean by that?"

"I believe this is what she means, Ichika." Satoru explained to him. "Your mental data was separated from your physical body and manifested itself here in the real world independently. Or maybe your real body was somehow moved to Shinjuku where it was corrupted into the form you have now." He then takes off his glasses. "But either way you look at it, your body is now in this state and we don't know what happened to your real body." Twoearle nodded in agreement while Ichika lowered his head.

"The whole situation is entirely too peculiar. Yet here you are, standing before us, as much as that shouldn't make sense." Kyoko mused. "At present, I can only form a simple hypothesis. We need to gather more information, and quickly." She places her hand on her chin. "Going by the book, you should check out where you logged in to EDEN… which was where?"

"Hold on, there's something I want to know.' Ichika interjected as he looked at Kyoko, Satoru and Twoearle suspiciously. "Why are you guys helping me? This isn't some part of some wicked scheme or anything, is it?"

"Hmph, where are you now?" Kyoko asked back with an amused chuckle "You are at the Kuremi Detective Agency, which has solved a number of rather bizarre cases, including cyber-crimes. I can think of nobody suited to solving the mystery of what happened to you than right here. And you're even sitting on the sofa for clients while my cousin and his friend are sitting on the sofa for us taking the case." Both Satoru and Twoearle nodded in agreement.

"But if you guys are helping me, don't I need to pay for my case?" Ichika asked again. "That might be a problem since my body's in this state and I can't seem to find my wallet anywhere."

"No need to worry about compensation. Your very existence is all the payment we need." Kyoko smiled "Let's pretend you've boarded a luxury liner. Say, the Mary Celeste." Ichika just sweat dropped while Satoru and Twoearle faced palmed. "Anyway, let's get back on track here. Where did you log in? But first… Before we do anything else, we must do something about your appearance. You can't even walk around outside like that. And it looks pretty unstable, as well."

"I'm afraid she's got a point, Ichika." Twoearle agrees with Kyoko. "You've already given everyone back at Shinjuku quite a scare before and the only reason you managed to get inside Nakano is because you were wearing something over you. Plus, I don't think a body comprised of data can last in the real world for long periods of time."

"Yeah, I know…" Ichika slumped in depression. "But what can I do about that? It's not like I wanted to be like this in the first place." He leans back on the sofa as his new friends all thought what to do next until Kyoko spoke up.

"I've had a good look, and you are truly a mass of data: a true digital body." Kyoko explained. "Yet you can hear our voices, sit on my sofa, talk to us. Proof that you obey physical laws." The three friends all turned to her. "A digital body with real-world characteristics. Let's call it a "half-cyber body." Hee hee!"

"That actually does make sense, Kyoko-nee." Satoru agrees with a smile. "Even though his body is nothing but data, he can still physically touch objects like normal."

"Indeed it is, my apprentice." Kyoko smiled in agreement. "If his body is comprised of data, then it could be easy to do something about his appearance. Incorporate compatible data and make repairs." She turns her attention back to Ichika. "You should have the same basic structure as an avatar used within EDEN. It would be excellent if there were avatar parts in the data found lying around in Kowloon. The only issue is whether or not you can log in in your current state."

"Yeah, that is a problem…" Ichika agrees with a sigh. "I'm not even sure how this body would react to a computer or anything electronic. There has to be some way for me to enter EDEN again." As everyone ponders what to do, he turns his attention to the TV right behind Satoru and Twoearle. He stands up from the sofa and walks over to the TV.

"What is it? Did something happened to the television?" Koyko asked as Ichika just stares at it.

"I'm not too sure…" Ichika answered her as he looked at the TV carefully. "It's almost like I heard someone's voice just now… It was calling to me…" He continues to stare at the TV until he hears something.

"Over here. Jump." A strange voice told him.

"What the?! What was that?" Ichika gawked as he stepped back a little. "And did it say "jump?!" What did it mean by jump?" Suddenly, data started emitting from the TV and on instinct, he stretched out his hand to the screen as a portal opens up and he jumps in.

"What the hell?!" How did he do that?" Satoru gawked "He just jumped into the TV like there was a doorway!"

"Quickly, you two! Follow him!" Kyoko issued. "He's going to need some help if he wants to find where his data parts are! I have a feeling we're in for something big and he'll need all the help he can get." Both Satoru and Twoearle nodded as he takes out his Digivice which was a high tech phone.

"Hey Dorumon, can you hear me?" Satoru asked the phone. "We're about to head back into cyberspace to help a client and new friend of ours. Are you ready to help him?" From his Digivice, a small purple dragon appears on screen.

"I'm ready when you are, Satoru." Dorumon answered him with a nod as Satoru looked at Twoearle who nodded and he nodded back before they jumped into the TV after Ichika.

* * *

After being instructed to jump into the TV by a strange voice, Ichika finds himself in an unknown area that seems to lead him forward, but with two branching paths ahead.

"Whoa, what is this place?" Ichika asked in amazement and shock. "Did I end up here by jumping into the TV back in the office? And what was that voice I heard earlier?" Before he can get his thoughts out, he heard a familiar voice calling out to him.

"Boss, you're okay!" Agumon shouted in relief as he ran up to him. "I knew putting me inside your Digivice would save you!" Ichika looked behind him as he jumps into his arms.

"Agumon! There you are!" Ichika smiled in relief as well. "Yeah, I'm still alive, thanks to you. Your quick thinking really saved me from that monster." He places his partner back down while looking at his body. "Although, it didn't save all of me. We were just lucky to have escaped from the monster."

"I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough, Boss." Agumon apologized as he lowered his head despondently. "If I had been by your side, this wouldn't have happened to you. I don't know if I'm fit to be your partner." He felt Ichika's hand on his head and started petting him.

"Don't worry, Agumon. I don't blame you for what happened to me and I never will." Ichika smiled with reassurance. "You did the best you can and I'm proud to call you my partner. So if we ever run into that monster again, we'll give it a beatdown it won't forget!" Agumon nodded in agreement and were about to proceed forward until they saw Satoru, Twoearle and a new face with them.

"Ichika, wait up!" Satoru called out to him. "We're here to help you!" He, Twoearle and Dorumon stopped in front of them.

"Guys, what are you doing here?" Ichika asked with a gasp. "I thought you were still back at the office with Kyoko." He then noticed Dorumon with them. "And who's that with you? Is he another Digimon?"

"Yeah, he is. This is Dorumon and he's my partner." Satoru answered him with a nod. "We followed you in here after you just vanished into the TV like that. Kyoko-nee thought you could use some help in finding the avatar parts." Twoearle and Dorumon both nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, you guys are the best." Ichika smiled "With all of you behind me, I'm are we'll get through this together." He turns his attention back to pathway as his friends all stood beside him. "Ok, now let's head back to EDEN. If we're going to solve the mystery of what happened to me, that's the best place to start. You guys ready?" Agumon, Satoru, Twoearle and Dorumon all nodded. "Okay, then let's go!" The five friends all charged forward as they headed back for EDEN.

As our heroes continue to fly through the digital tunnel, Satotu and Twoearle were amazed at what they were seeing for the first time. They couldn't believe they were really inside cyberspace without having to look through special equipment or reading about them in books, but really seeing it up close and personal.

"This is just amazing." Satoru gasped in awe. "I've only read about all these radio inside every electronics like computers or TVs, but seeing them up close like this is a real sight to behold. You'd only see these waves in books or you need like special equipment to even see them, but here we are inside cyberspace! Scientists would kill to come inside machines and see all these waves up close like this!"

"Well, I wouldn't say that, but I can understand what you're saying, Satoru-kun." Twoearle agreed with a smile. "As a scientist myself, I can definitely see why you would make that comparison. Seeing all these waves up close and not from a screen or on a piece of paper, it's almost like we've entered into a different world." She turns her attention to Ichika. "So what happened to you back at the office, Ichika? You were staring at the TV until you did something right before our eyes and entered the TV screen. How did you do that?"

"It's kinda hard to say, but I was urged by this voice I heard." Ichika answered her as he pondered about the voice he heard. "It told me to jump into the TV, so I took a leap of faith and ended up here. Then not long after, you guys showed up and now we're all flying through cyberspace from inside the TV."

"Hmm, this voice you heard might know something about that." Satoru guessed. "If you're the only one who heard that voice, then whoever told you to jump must know something about your half-digital body." The three friends all thought for a moment before he brushes it off for now. "You know what, let's leave it out for now. We still need to find a way to restore Ichika's avatar and gather more information about what happened to him." Ichika and Twoearle nodded in agreement as the five friends continued on until they reached the end of the tunnel and exited.

* * *

After exiting the digital tunnel, our heroes find themselves back in EDEN, but on top of what looks like a tower with more people interacting with one another. Ichika, Satoru and Twoearle looked around their new location as they realized where they were.

"Hold on, this is EDEN, right?" Satoru asked in confusion as he looked around. "The tunnel we were in led us all the way here to EDEN?"

"It looks that way." Ichika answered him with a nod. "I guess the tunnel or anything electric all leads to EDEN in some way, but I get the feeling it might work on some of them like the TV back in the office." Satoru nodded in agreement as the two boys were looking around, Twoearle looked behind her and saw the portal closing.

"Boys, we might have a problem." Twoearle gulped. "Our way out just closed on us!" The boys turned around and saw that she was right, their only way out had closed behind them after stepping into EDEN.

"That's just great, so now what'll we do?" Satoru groaned. "How the hell are we going get back to the real world with our only way out closed off?" Before anyone could answer him, Ichika's Digivice rings and he answers it as Kyoko appears on screen.

"This is Kyoko Kuremi. Can you hear me?" Kyoko asked him.

"Kyoko!" The three friends shouted in relief.

"There you three are, you had me worried for a moment." Kyoko sighed in relief. "I nearly lost you three, but I managed to get a trace. Ichika, what the heck happened? It looked like you were sucked into the terminal and just disappeared."

"I'm not even sure how to explain it, but it was just out of this world." Ichika explained. "After I went inside the TV, I was really going through this tunnel inside of cyberspace. You wouldn't believe what we were seeing while flying through that tunnel!" Satoru and Twoearle nodded in agreement.

"I see. I'm guessing you three have passed through the actual network lines themselves." Kyoko nods in understanding. "The office terminal is connected to EDEN's network. You three rode within the wires as data and appeared in EDEN. So then for you three, the network appears as an actual series of roads."

"That would explain how we ended up here in EDEN." Twoearle agreed with her as she figured it out. "Because the terminal back in the office's connected to EDEN, it was easy for us to follow the roads and find ourselves right here in EDEN. But there's one thing I'm wondering." Everyone all turned to her. "If Ichika was able to enter the TV and find his way into EDEN, just how does that work for me and Satoru-kun? We're still fully human, yet here we are in EDEN and completely fine." The boys nodded in agreement as Kyoko places her hand on her chin.

"If I had to guess, it's because both of you were with Ichika during your trip through the network." Kyoko theorized. "Seeing as how he entered the television and I told you two to follow him, he seems to be able to protect you because of his half-digital body. As long as you two are with him, he can keep your bodies safe from being digitized like his." The three friends all breathed a sigh of relief as she turned her attention to Ichika. "Still, it's shocking to see you make such a direct transition from the real world to the digital one. To submerge in the digital world by touching the terminal. A dive… no, a jump! From now on I'm going to call that ability of yours a "Connect Jump." What a happy little unexpected accident! Now you three con go look for avatar part data. Head for Kowloon. There's plenty of junk data lying around in Kowloon. It should be easy to find what you need." The three friends nodded in agreement as she ends the call.

"Ok, now that we've got our objective, let's head for Kowloon." Satoru smiled. "If we can find the avatar parts there, we can restore Ichika's avatar back to its normal self. Not only that, but we can also find some clues on what really happened to him before meeting us." Ichika and Twoearle nodded in agreement and headed for the terminal before Ichika stopped in his tracks.

"This way. Come on." The same voice from before said.

"Huh?! What was that?" Ichika looked around "Was it that same voice from before?" He looks behind him and sees a bright light. "I guess if the voice wants me to go in to the light, then I should go in that direction." He then starts walking towards the light as his friends noticed him walking in the other direction.

"Hey Ichika, where are you going?" Satoru called out to him "I thought we were heading for Kowloon, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"I heard that same voice from before and it's telling me to go this way." Ichika answered him as he looked back to his friends "I don't know why, but I feel like I should go to where the voice is coming from." Twoearle and Satoru looked at each other before shrugging their shoulders and started following him into the light.

* * *

As the light dissipated, our heroes find themselves in an unknown room with a pillar of screens in the center of the room. There were also six panels all around the room, four near the corner and two on walls on either side. In the center of the room, there's a woman standing before them with light purple hair and eyes, glasses, a black dress with a white buttoned up shirt underneath and a light purple bowtie. In her hand is laptop and next to her is a black cat lying on a circular bench.

The woman looked at Ichika and his friends as she adjusted her glasses. "Ah, so you can hear my voice. Welcome to the DigiLab. This place has a faint connection to the Digital World. A paradise for Digimon. I am Mirei Mikahura. I open this paradise unto you and your friends!" The three friends looked at her with confused expressions.

"Digital World? What's the Digital World?" Ichika asked in confusion as he titled his head.

"It's okay if any of you don't know about it. For now, at least." Mirei answered him. "When the time comes, I expect you three will know what you need to know."

"Fair enough, I suppose." Satoru nods in understanding. "Since we'll be leaving that question for another time, here's our second one. You call this place the DigiLab, right?" Mirei nodded "What is the DigiLab?"

"The Digital Monster Laboratory… You could call it the "DML" for short, I suppose." Mirei answered him with a calm smile. "I recommend calling it the "DigiLab," though."

"If you want us to call it the DigiLab, then we'll call it just that." Ichika smiled in agreement "I suppose you like the name DigiLab better than those other names you told us about, right?" MIrei nodded "Sounds fair, but now that just leaves another question. How did we managed to even get here?"

"I called you… No, that's not quite it." Mirei corrected herself. "It was you who called to me."

"Wait, me? I was the one who called you?" Ichika asked in confusion.

"Yes, that's right. You are the one who called me." Mirei answered him with a nod. "You and your friend are beginning to develop a deep connection with Digimon. Our strings of fate intertwined and drew me in, and so I found you. In other words, it was you who called out to me. But that's enough of that for now. First off, I'm sure you three are wondering what kind of place is this, right?" The three friends all nodded "Go and check it out with your own eyes." She sits down on her chair as she opens her laptop while the three friends looked at each other.

"So, what do you guys think?" Satoru asked his friends. "Should we check out this DigiLab of hers and see what it has to offer?"

"I'm not too sure about that." Twoearle answered as she looked at Mirei suspiciously. "She does seem nice and everything, but I'm not fully on board with this whole DigiLab thing yet. For all we know, this whole thing could be a setup." Out of nowhere, Mirei appeared right next to her.

"A setup, you say." Mirei said, still smiling. "I'll have you know that this DigiLab is no setup in the slightest, but a paradise for Digimon."

"AHH!" The trio jumped in surprise. "Where did you come from?"

"Well, you three are standing right in front of me, so it's easy to hear you talking." Mirei answered them. "Plus, I can see that you don't trust me yet and that's perfectly fine with me." She then glances at the two boys. "Speaking of which, I've noticed you two have Digimon. Mind telling me how you acquired them and how long you've had them?"

"Well, I met Agumon just recently." Ichika answered her. "It was during my first trip inside EDEN where I was meeting up with some friends of my, but something happened and I ended up like this. He was given to me by someone named Yuugo."

"Wait, you met Yuugo too, Ichika?" Satoru asked with wide eyes. "That's also what happened to me with I first met Twoearle and Dorumon a month ago."

"Oh right, I remember that day." Twoearle agrees with a smile and blush. "That was when you saved from that thing when it was chasing me and that's when you and Dorumon protected me." She then grabs Satoru's head and pulls him into her breasts. "And I'm still grateful for you two when you save me back then. If you want, I can still give you that special service I was talking about before we were interrupted." Both boys blushed brightly as they knew that she was talking about while Mirei just smiled.

"Well, I believe it's safe to say that both your Digimon are in good hands." Mirei said in approval. "And from what I can see, both your Digimon have found fine partners. Now with that out of the way, why don't you three explore the DigiLab for a bit? I'm sure you'll find everything you need for the journey ahead is right here." The three friends all nodded in agreement and started exploring the lab. A few minutes later, our heroes were at the terminal and ready to leave. "Do you three understand the DigiLab? Use it carefully to further your interaction with Digimon. Let me see if you and your friends are the people I thought you might be. Finally, one last thing. A small token for you, Ichika." Ichika started glowing as he and his friends all jumped in surprise.

"Whoa, what was that?" Ichika gawked "I'm glowing! What did you give to me?"

"That, my friend, is called the Hacking Skill." Mirei answered him as she begin explaining. "Hacking skills shine in combination with Digimon use, but are dangerous if used for unscrupulous hacking purposes. How you use your skills is up to you. Never forget that. You can deepen your special ties with the Digimon. Live with them. Share their joys and sadness, and grow together! By deepening your bond with the Digimon, they'll surely offer you their aid. It is a very important ability. It will even change your life."

"Wow, thank you, Mirei-san." Ichika smiled in gratitude. "I'll be sure to use your gift for something good and not use it for selfish reasons. We'll take your advice to heart and deepen our bond with Digimon." Twoearle and Satoru both nodded in agreement. "But there's something else I really want to know. Do you know anything about the Connect Jump or how I can control it?"

"Connection Jump… That's what you call your curious ability." Mirei said as she pondered this. "I know nothing of this power. It's like a hacking skill, but… well, different. But I'm certain it's a skill that will serve you in unique ways. I'll see you later. Take care." The three friends nodded as they stepped onto the terminal. "By the way, you three were heading for Kowloon, I suspect?" The three friends turned to her and nodded. "Just this once, I'll let you three use the special exit. Next time, go to the access point, if you please." The three friends nodded as they vanished in the same light that brought them to the DigiLab

* * *

After meeting with Mirei and seeing the DigiLab, she was able to send our heroes to Kowloon to find Ichika's avatar data and restore him back to normal. As the light dissipates, Ichika, Satoru, Twoearle, Agumon and Dorumon all found themselves back in Kowloon where Ichika was attacked and his body became data.

"So this is Kowloon?" Satoru asked as he looked around. "The last place where you were still fully human before becoming this, Ichika?" He gestured to Ichika's hall-cyber body.

"No doubt about it, this is the place." Ichika answered with a nod. "This is where I first met Agumon and being turned into a massive clump of data. Of course, this is also where I got separated from my friends when we tried to escape last time. But we can worry about that later, our first priority is to find those data parts and restore my avatar back to normal. The problem is that I don't even know where to look, they could be anywhere in Kowloon."

"Not to worry, Ichika. I've got the solution to our problem." Twoearle smiled. "Just before we followed you into EDEN, I was able to grab Satoru-kun's laptop and brought it with us. With this, we'll be able to find those data parts and restore your avatar back to its former self. And maybe, we'll be one step closer into finding out what happened to you before."

"Nice work, Twoearle. Leave it to you to always be prepared." Satoru smiled as he gave her a thumbs up. "Now let's fire up my laptop and let's see where the data parts are located." Twoearle nodded in agreement as she flips it open and turns on the screen.

"Ok, now let's see where the data parts are." Twoearle frowned seriously as she types away on the laptop. "Hey, there's one not too far from our location. It's just right past Galacta Park down this pathway."

"Great, now let's head over there." Ichika said happily. "And once we find that one, we'll find the remaining three in no time." Satoru, Twoearle and Dorumon all nodded in agreement as he turns to Agumon. "Well, here we are again, Agumon. Right back to the place where we first met. We may have lost that battle before, but I'm certain we'll get stronger for next time. So then, are you ready to help our new friends in solving this mystery?"

"I'm more than ready for anything, Boss." Agumon answered with a nod. "I couldn't do much before because of that thing, but I can help you right now. So let's get out there and show them what we're made of! It's fighting time!" Ichika nodded in agreement as they fist bumped.

"It sure has been a month since we've had to do this, but it's time to get to work." Satoru said seriously "Our new client and friend is in need of our help and we have to help him. I know it's been a long time since our last battle, so let's hope we're not rusty. Are you ready to help our new friends?"

"I'm ready when you are, Partner." Dorumon answered him with a nod and smile. "It's been a month since we've been out on the field, but I can handle anything that comes our way! As Agumon said, it's fighting time!" Satoru nodded in agreement as turns to face Ichika, Twoearle and Agumon who also nodded in agreement and headed out to find the data parts.

As our heroes make their way to Galacta Park where Ichika met Nokia and Arata for the first time, they were stopped by a familiar firewall that was still blocking the only entrance into the deeper parts of Kowloon.

"What the?! Where did this firewall come from?" Satoru gawked in shock. "Did someone put it here to try and keep us out of getting to Galacta Park?"

"No, it was used to keep me and my friends from escaping before." Ichika answered him as he remembered the firewall. "When we tried to leave last time, this was placed right here to block us and we couldn't log out." He punches his fist into his palm. "Dammit, I can't believe I completely forgot about the firewall! It was keeping us from leaving last time, and now it's preventing us from getting in! And without Arata, there's no way we can get in!

"So what are we going to do now?" Twoearle asked in concern as she looked at the firewall. "Our only way in is blocked off and I can't find any other entry points. So are we going to head back to the real world and start all over?"

"No, there has to be a way inside!" Agumon urged. "I'm not going to give up that easily! Even if this stupid firewall blocks our way in, I'll just destroy it myself, if I have to!"

"I don't think that would be wise, Agumon." Dorumon said calmly. "Even if you were strong enough to destroy the firewall, what's to stop another one from forming in its place? We need to come up with some way to open the firewall without destroying it."

"So just how are we going to do that, Dorumon?" Agumon asked while glaring at Dorumon. "While we're standing here and twiddling our thumps, Boss's data is on the other side of this wall mocking us and we can't do anything about it!"

"Hold on, Agumon. I think there is a way to get past the firewall." Satoru thought of something. "Ichika, you remember the gift that Mikagura woman gave you before she brought us here?" Ichika nodded "I think you can use those hacking skills she gave you to open the firewall and we can continue on!"

"Wait, you're right! I can use the gift she gave me!" Ichika agrees as he remembered the gift he got from Mirei. "She said that it would help me in unique ways and I think unlocking firewalls is one of them." He turns to the firewall and walks toward it "Now, all I need to do is use one these new hacking skills Mirei gave me and we can continue on. Now which one that's used for unlocking firewalls?"

"Hold on, let me see what kind of abilities she gave you." Satoru interjected as he turned to Twoearle. "Hey Twoearle, can you start up my laptop for me? I need to find out what kind of abilities that Mirei woman gave to Ichika." Twoearle nodded in agreement as she flips open the laptop and holds on to it as he types away. "Ok, it says here that you can use the Wall Crack. This skill allows you to unlock firewalls blocking your path depending on what level and resilience it has. So far, the only level you can unlock is the Level 1 firewall which is yellow and that's the one blocking our path. There are some other colors depending on the level, but this is the only one you can unlock right now."

"Got it, I'll unlock this firewall now." Ichika said with a nod as he stands in front of the firewall. He then extends his hand to the firewall and concentrates for a few seconds until the lock on the firewall opens and the wall's deleted. "Guys, it worked! It really worked! I was able to unlock the firewall and it opened the way for us!"

"Way to go, Ichika! Now we can continue on!" Satoru cheered "Now let's hurry and find those data parts. Who knows what'll happen if someone or something finds them and uses them for other purposes." Ichika, Twoearle, Agumon and Dorumon all nodded in agreement and continued on into Galacta Park until they were called by Kyoko.

"Kyoko!" The three friends gasped.

"It's me! Whew, I finally got through to you three." Kyoko sighed in relief "I lost your trace info, and had to search again. Where did you three wander off to this time?"

"Kyoko, you wouldn't believe what just happened before." Ichika answered her as he began. "We were about to enter Kowloon until I heard that voice again and it led me to this bright light. Satoru and Twoearle followed me into the light and we found ourselves inside this place called the DigiLab. We've even met this woman name Mirei Mikagura and she runs the DigiLab." Both Satoru and Twoearle nodded in agreement.

"I see. So you three ran into Mirei Mikagura." Kyoko nods in understanding.

"Wait, you know her, Kyoko-nee?" Satoru asked confusedly.

"Yeah, you can say we're acquainted." Kyoko answered "Regardless, for there to have been natural progression where you three meet her… You seem to have the craziest luck, Ichika." Ichika laughed nervously while Satoru, Twoearle, Agumon and Dorumon all sweat dropped. "Anyway, let's assume you three carried out your original objective. We'll start by…"

"Hate to break it to you, Kyoko-nee. But Ichika was already able to break through the firewall." Satoru said with a smile.

"What? You've already broken through the firewall?" Kyoko gawked before smiling. "Well done! You saved me some time. Hee hee!" She clears her throat. "All right, on to our next move. I scanned the area around the entrance to Kowloon and marked key junk data sites. Junk data will serve as your body parts. You three need to go find and retrieve some. It's something of a stopgap measure, and it may not be a perfect solution, but I'm sure your skills are up to the task. This is the key step to returning your body to normal, so buck up and get to work!"

"But how are we going to return my body to normal?" Ichika asked in confusion and concern. "I know this wouldn't be easy, but couldn't they have made it a little more easier?"

"It's okay. Searching for body parts isn't as hard as defeating 48 demons, now, is it?" Kyoko asked back "Think of it as an emergency measure. I look forward to meeting you in your in your normal body." She ends the call as our heroes looked at each other and nodded before heading off the return Ichika's body back to normal.

* * *

Not long after getting a call from Kyoko and getting past the firewall, our heroes continued on down the same path Ichika took on his first time in Kowloon before meeting with Agumon and his new friends.

Satoru was looking at the map on his laptop as Twoearle held it for him. "Ok, so according to the map Kyoko-nee sent us, we should be coming up on the first data part right about now." Everyone looks ahead and sees the first part right in front of them. "There it is, the first avatar part!"

"Great, that just leaves three more parts for us to find." Ichika said as he walks over to the avatar part and outstretched his hand until he touches it and absorbs it into his body. "Okay, that's the first one recovered. So any leads on the other three?"

"Hold on, let me check the map." Satoru answered him as he looked at the map. "Hmm, looks like the other parts are further deep inside Kowloon. We'll have to search hard if we're going to find all of them." Ichika, Twoearle, Agumon and Dorumon all nodded in agreement as they continued their search.

For the next hour, Ichika and his friends were looking all over Kowloon to find the three remaining avatar parts to restore his body back to normal and solving of the mystery of what attacked him before. After searching for half an hour, our heroes were able to find the remaining two avatar parts and only had one more to find.

"Okay, that's two more avatar parts." Ichika said happily. "Now that just leaves one more to find and my body should be back to normal." He turns to Satoru and Twoearle. "Hey guys, any luck on finding the last one yet?"

"Just a moment, Ichika. We're looking for it now." Satoru answered as he types away on his laptop. "Okay, I got its location. It's located at the very back of Kowloon, just down that way. There also seems to be an old terminal that's been out of service for years." Both Ichika and Agumon gasped after hearing it. "I take it you guys know that place?"

"Know it? That's where we were last time when right before Boss became like this!" Agumon answered with a growl. "It was also where we fought against that thing, but none of our attacks couldn't even scratch it!" He clutches his claws in anger. "When I find that thing again, I'll make it pay for what it did to Boss!"

"Agumon, you need to calm down!" Dorumon reasoned with him. "I can understand how you feel, but you can't win a battle with anger. You need to keep a level head or your opponents will use your anger against you." Agumon just went silent.

"Agumon…" Ichika whispered softly as Satoru placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Give him some time to cool off, Ichika." Satoru said with a smile. "I'm sure seeing you in this state might've taken a toll on him and wants to make sure it doesn't happen again. I'm sure he's just worried about you and wants to see you safe." Ichika nodded in agreement. "Now let's continue on and find that last avatar part. Once we find it, we'll be one step closer to solving this case." Twoeale, Dorumon, Ichika and Agumon all nodded in agreement and continued on. Unknown to them, three silhouettes were watching them enter the next area before vanishing from sight.

* * *

As Ichika and his friends entered the final area, they saw the final avatar part resting at the top of the stairs where the old terminal's located and where they fought the mysterious monster. They made their way up the stairs before finding the final avatar part just past the old terminal.

"There it is, the final avatar part." Satoru smiled. "Now that we've found all of them, we can restore Ichika back to normal." He turns to Ichika. "Ok, you know what to do, Ichika." Ichika nodded in agreement as he touches the final avatar part and absorbed it into his body. A few seconds later, Ichika's body was restored and both he and Twoearle can finally see his face.

"Yeah, I'm back to normal!" Ichika cheered as he leaped for joy. "Now I won't have to worry about scaring people again." He turns to Satoru, Twoearle and Dorumon and smiled at them. "I couldn't have done it without the help from you guys, I owe you big time. Thank you for helping me restore my body back to normal." Both Satoru and Twoearle smiled and nodded until his Digivice rings and answered it as Kyoko appeared on screen.

"Kyoko!" The three friends gasped.

"Nice to see you three managed to find the avatar parts." Kyoko smiled in approval "Hmm… You at least look normal again. It's not a perfect solution, but it's a big step. The objective has been met. Come back to the agency, you three."

"But how do we do that, Kyoko?" Ichika asked confusedly. "Our only way back closed off and we don't see anywhere else to exit." Satoru and Twoearle nodded in agreement.

"What's that? You don't know how to get back?" Kyoko asked back "Hmm… Try logging out like you always do."

"Log out like we always do?" Satoru repeated with a question mark above his head. "How do we do that?"

"Since you three went in through an agency terminal, my guess is that you should come out through one." Kyoko answered him before going into deep thought "But to be honest, in your case, I don't know what'll happen until we try. In the worst case, if Ichika's data gets scattered throughout the network, we'll salvage as much as we can." Everyone gasped in shock. "Hee hee, I'm joking! Sort of."

"Sort of?" The three friends asked in annoyance as Kyoko ends the call.

"Well, that was a gruesome way to end your call..." Twoearle muttered with the bored dotted eye look. "I can't believe she would try to scare us like that."

"Still, she does have a point." Satoru figured. "If we don't find out what happens to Ichika if we try to log out, his data could be scattered all over the network and it'll take years to salvage every last piece of him. We'll have to head back to the entrance of Kowloon and try logging out of the terminal there to see what happens." Twoearle, Ichika, Agumon and Dorumon all nodded in agreement as they make their way back to the terminal at the entrance.

* * *

After making the trip back to the entrance, our heroes stop in front of the terminal as Ichika steps forward. "Ok, here we go. If what Kyoko said is true about something happening to me, we'll have to chance it by logging out." He turns to Satoru and Twoerle. "So, are you two ready to try logging out and see what happens?" Satoru and Twoearle nodded in agreement as both boys put their Digimon partners back into their Digivices. All three of them hold hands as Ichika starts logging until they vanished.

After finding all the avatar parts and restoring Ichika's body back to its former self, our heroes logged out of EDEN and returned to the agency back in the real world. As they appeared back in the office, Kyoko was behind her desk waiting for them to come back in one piece.

"Hey, Kyoko! We're back!" Twoearle greeted.

"That you are. Welcome back, kids." Kyoko smiled in agreement. "Hehe! You made it back in one piece, didn't you, Ichika? I wouldn't have expected anything different." Satoru and Twoearle nodded in agreement while Ichika rubs the back of his head in embarrassment. "Still, those abilities border on the unreal. Maybe the reason you still adhere to physical laws has to do with an instinctual fear present in all physical organisms."

"Is that really true, Kyoko-nee?" Satoru asked in question. "The reason why Ichika can still interact with objects in the real world is because of that fear?"

"Well, it's a possibility. But it's not a proven fact." Kyoko answered him. "But seeing as how Ichika can still physically touch objects in the real world, who's to say that's not the case." The three friends all nodded in agreement. "Hee hee! This is all truly fascinating!" Before anyone could continue, they heard someone calling out.

"Pardon me, Kyo-chan. Sato-kun. Two-chan." An unfamiliar voice said as everyone turned around to see a man walking into the office and closing the door behind him.

"Detective?" Both Satoru and Twoearle asked.

"There you go again, sneaking up on us, old man." Kyoko sighed.

"Oops, I'm sorry. I did it again." The man apologized as he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"That you did, Detective. You really need to break that habit of yours." Tworeale puffed her cheeks in anger.

"And could you stop calling me Kyo-chan?" Kyoko asked while looking at the man in annoyance. "It's embarrassing. That was a childhood nickname."

"The same for me with Sato-kun. It's really embarrassing." Satoru agrees with a sigh.

"And that goes triple for me with Two-chan." Twoearle also agrees "I know we've known each other for a month, but it's really embarrassing when you call me that. Although, I wouldn't mind it if Satoru-kun was the one calling me that."

"Not going to happen, my young friends. You three will always be Kyo-chan, Sato-kun and Two-chan to me." The man smirked "No matter how old you get, or how brilliant of a detective you become! Hahaha!" Kyoko, Satoru and Twoealre all blushed in embarrassment as the older man continues laughing while Ichika was confused.

"Well, with that out of the way, let me ask you something, old man." Kyoko began as she cleared her throat. "How long have you been there? What have you heard?"

"I just got here. Is something wrong?" The man asked before noticing Ichika with them. Oh, you have a client. Sorry, sorry! Were you going over a case?"

"No, this is—well, client of sorts, though of a somewhat unconventional nature." Kyoko answered him with a smile.

"Oh? Just who are you, then?" The man asked Ichika while crossing his arms.

"Sorry, can't tell you. That's a secret." Ichika answered quickly with a sheepish grin as the man just looked at him suspiciously.

"Hmph. Like I said, no one in particular. Not yet." Kyoko stepped in while Ichika just rubbed back of his head and smiled. "Ichika, let me introduce you. This is Detective Matayoshi. He's an old friend from when my father and aunt, Satoru's mother, ran the agency together, and both I and Satoru trust him completely. He's the most elite detective the force has on cyber-crimes."

"It's true, and he was also like a father to us." Satoru agrees with a smile. "Well, second father to Kyoko-nee, but still a father figure to us nonetheless." Matayoshi nodded in agreement.

"I'm flattered to here you say that, Sato-kun." Matayoshi smiled "Looks are deceiving, you were thinking? Well, I suppose I don't exactly fit the mold. But if I did, I'd never be able to tag along with the shadier element." He realized what he just said and started laughing. *Oops! A slip of the tongue! Hahaha!" Soon, everyone else joined in on the laughing.

"So, is there something afoot?" Kyoko asked as soon as they stopped laughing. "If it's a case, sit on the sofa and wait a bit. I'll just whip up some tasty coffee..." That made Satoru, Twoearle and Matayoshi flinched in fear.

"No, thank you! There's no case today! No need for coffee!" Matayoshi frantically stated before regaining his composure "I heard a rumor about the EDEN Syndrome. I thought you three might be interested, Kyo-chan. Sato-kun. Two-chan."

"Let's hear it, then." Kyoko said while nodding as she leaves her desk and sits on the left sofa with Matayoshi sitting on the right. Satoru and Twoearle sits with Kyoko on the left sofa while Ichika stands next to them. Matayoshi glances over to Ichika as they stared at each other for a few seconds.

"Um, um… ahem!" Matayoshi cleared his throat while Ichika tilted his head in confusion.

"No need to worry about my assistant, old man! This is someone with a rather… special connection with EDEN." Kyoko explained with a smirk. "My assistant has the potential to become something of a specialist in the field." The three friends all nodded in agreement. "Let's hear what you have to say."

"I see. If you can vouch for your assistant, that's fine." Matayoshi nods in agreement as he began. "The rumor concerns the special ward in the hospital where they're isolating the EDEN Syndrome patients." He realized Ichika was confused by this. "Oh. Do I need to explain what EDEN Syndrome is to your future specialist?"

"Please do." Kyoko answered with a nod.

"It's a rare condition where EDEN users suddenly lose consciousness, and are unable to wake up." Matayoshi explained. "We see more and more patients with each year, but the cause, symptoms and treatment remain a mystery. There's a special ward at Central Hospital for EDEN patients. Treatment and a search for the cure are underway. But information there is kept heavily restricted. There are facilities even relatives can't enter. The rumor is that they're concealing facts to help protect Kamishino's image. This remains firmly under rumor territory for now. But lately, there have been happenings behind the scenes at Central Hospital."

"Behind the scenes? Meaning Kamishino Enterprises, right?" Kyoko asked while frowning seriously.

"Yes. The hospital is under Kamishino's control." Matayoshi answered, frowning as well. "The same Kamishino who runs the EDEN Network. The number of patients is increasing, and symptoms are getting worse. Now of all times is when Kamishino needs to come clean, not remain silent."

"He's not joking. There have been more reports of the EDEN Syndrome cases." Satoru agrees, also frowning. "I've just looked up more cases of the EDEN Syndrome over the past couple of days and there've been several more people falling victim to it."

"Right on the money, Sato-kun. But that's not the only concern." Matayoshi agrees before he continued "An alarming number of people are being admitted to the hospital in question, and security in the special ward has allegedly been beefed up. This means something is afoot."

"It was going to happen eventually." Kyoko frowned seriously as she said that.

"Yes, indeed." Matayoshi agrees with her.

"Hee hee! Think I'll put some coffee on after all! We can toast the agency's success!" Kyoko smiled as Satoru, Twoearle and Matayoshi filched in fear again.

"Oh, look at the time. I'd better get back to the station." Matayoshi laughed nervously. "Sorry, but let's save the toast for another time. See you later!" He stands up from the sofa and walks over to Ichika as he whispers in his ear. "I'd watch out for her coffee. Especially the color, and the solid chunks floating in it. I fear the day is coming when I'll be forced to actually taste her coffee. That day won't be pretty…" He finished his warning and walks out the door.

"Okay, what was that all about?" Ichika asked "What did he mean I should watch out for her coffee?" He shrugged his shoulders and waited as Kyoko searches on her computer.

* * *

 **A few minutes later...**

* * *

"It was as he said." Kyoko said seriously as she looked at the screen on her computer. "'Fresh' info on EDEN Syndrome is hard to come by. Kamishino's behind-the-scenes restrictions are doing their job. And security will only get ramped up all the more from here on out." She puts her hand on her chin. "There's something happening in EDEN, then you show up in your weird body, and at the same time, Kamoshino's apparently on the move. Is that all merely coincidence?" She shakes her head no. "No, it has to all be connected. The rationale is plain as day. No leaps in logic necessary."

"So what are we going to do now?" Satoru asked as he crossed his arms. "If we can't gather information on Kamishino from here, how are we going to prove they're behind something?"

"There's one thing we can do, but it's a more direct approach." Kyoko answered him as she began explaining her plan. "We're heading to Central Hospital. We need to get as much info as we can before security is stepped up." Satoru and Twoealre nodded in agreement as they looked at Ichika and smiled. "We'd be thrilled if you come with us."

"Wait, me?!" Ichika asked while blinking. "Why would you want me to come along?"

"You might be able to get some info on your current state." Kyoko answered him. "Seek and ye shall find! Knock and it shall be… No, in your case, let's go with "Open Sesame." Heehee!" The three friends just sweat dropped as she stands up from her desk. "Okay, now that we've got our objective, let's head over to Central Hospital. I'll let you know what you need to do once we arrive." The three friends all nodded in agreement as they made the trip to Central Hospital.

* * *

After an hour drive, our heroes have arrived at Central Hospital and were ready to gather info on the EDEN Syndrome. As they entered the lobby of the hospital, Kyoko starts to come up with a plan for them.

"Well, what to do?" Kyoko wondered as she scratched her chin. "At times like these, I tend to start off with a frontal attack. Let's try direct negotiation to get us into the hospital's Special Ward."

"A frontal attack? That seems a bit sketchy, Kyoko." Ichika said in confusion and having doubts about this plan.

"Heehee, you're a pretty sharp one!" Kyoko smirked "But preconceived notions can sometimes lead to unintended consequences. Don't ask for details. They say that ignorance is bliss, after all. I'll give you three instructions later. Until then, gather info inside the hospital." Satoru and Twoealre nodded in agreement while Ichika was confused.

"Wait, gather info?" Ichika asked as he titled his head in confusion. "How are we going to gather info here in the lobby?"

"Asking questions is the most fundamental cornerstone in detective work!" Kyoko answered him. "I wasn't joking when I said you could become a specialist in the field, my dear prospective assistant." Ichika tiled his head in confusion as a question mark appears above him. "Become a GP, and record my activities in a chart, or become a boy with shining red cheeks… It's really a lot of fun. Hee hee!" She walks off towards the front desk while Ichika slumps and both Satoru and Twoearle sweat dropped.

"Well, I guess we're on our own from here on out." Satoru muttered. "Let's see what kind of info we can gather from the people here in the lobby. Let's split up and see what we can find out about the EDEN patients in the Special Ward." Ichika and Twoearle nodded in agreement and were about to split up until something caught their eyes.

Near the elevators, they see a girl about their age in a black and white dress talking with one of the nurses. The girl had a sad look on her face as the nurse placed her hand on the girl's shoulder and was reassuring her about something before taking her leave. The girl then turns her attention to the three friends and all four of them stared at each other for what seems like forever, almost like they were trying to read the other's thoughts.

"Ichika, don't just stand there. Say something to her." Satoru whispered to him.

"Huh, me? Why me?" Ichika asked in confusion with a blush. "What am I supposed to say to her?"

"I don't know, say anything!" Twoearle answered him with a scowl. "We're supposed to be looking for info around here and she was talking to the nurse before. She might know something about the Special Ward here."

"Okay, okay! I'll ask her!" Ichika complained as he rubbed his temples before regaining his composure and started thinking. "Ok, so what should I say to her?" He thinks about it for a few seconds before a light bulb chimes above him. "Got it! I know what to say to her!" He clears his throat and smiled at the girl. "Hello, my name is Ichika Orimura and these are my friends, Satoru Kuremi and Twoearle." The two friends in question waved at the girl, but she was still silent as they sweat dropped. "Ok, that didn't work. Let's try something else then." Before he could say anything, the elevator chimed as the doors opened and the girl walks in. The door closes behind her and she went to the upper floors.

"Well, that didn't go as planned." Satoru frowned dully. "She left on the elevator before we could even ask her. Oh well, we'll just have to count our losses here and move on. Let's get back to our original objective and ask around the lobby." Ichika and Twoearle nodded in agreement as they split up and asked around the lobby.

* * *

For the next few minutes, Ichika, Satoru and Twoearle all went around the lobby and asked around. They spoke with other patients, doctors, nurses, visiting relatives and the receptionist at the front desk. After asking around, our heroes regrouped with each other near the elevators.

"Well, I've got nothing on my end." Satoru rubbed his temples. "Not many people know about the EDEN Syndrome or about what's really going on. What about you two? I hope you guys had better luck than me."

"Unfortunately, I didn't have that much luck than you." Ichika sighed. "I asked around the lobby about what they know about the EDEN Syndrome or Kamishino's recent actions, but all I got was nothing but rude comments or just being called an idiot who hates Kamishino Enterprises."

"My end's just about the same as you boys." Twoearle agrees, frowning angrily "All I got was being hit on by some idiots who wanted to look at my chest or give me the time of my life. I even had one idiot who looked under my skirt where I lost it and kicked him right in the family jewels." Both boys winched in pain from hearing that. "Besides, the only one who can do all those things to me is Satoru-kun." She latches onto his arm and pressed her breasts against him. "And I'll be more than happy to let him." Satoru blushed brightly while Ichika just smiles at them

"Well, I can see she'd rather prefer you over those other guys." Ichika said cheerfully. "You must've really caught her heart and she'll even do anything you want her to do. Believe me, I'd know that all too well."

"Wait, you too?" Satoru asked with raised eyebrows. "So you've had girls fawning over you as well?" Ichika nodded "So how many girls have you charmed?"

"Believe it or not, my entire school." Ichika answered with a sheepish grin "Because I was the only guy in the whole campus where all the girls, including seven of my friends, fell in love with me and I had to survive with my wits. Of course, Houki and the others were the ones trying to get my attention most of the time."

"Wow, I guess you have rougher than me, Ichika." Satoru said as he gave Ichika his sympathies. "Having all those girls in one place fighting for your affection and you had to survive by your wits alone." Ichika nodded as he changed the subject. *Anyway, since we didn't find anything here, let's see where that girl was heading. Which floor do you think she took the elevator to?"

"Let's get on the elevator and find out." Ichika suggested "She might've been here for a reason and we need to find out." Satoru and Twoearle nodded in agreement as he pressed the up button and the elevator doors opened. As they entered the elevator and the door closes, there was a button that said "Special Ward" on it and the three friends knows exactly where to go as he presses the button and the elevator went up.

As the elevator Ichika and the others were in went up, the doors from the second elevator opened and the same girl from before walks out into the lobby where she meets up with seven familiar faces. Houki, Char, Cecilia, Laura, Ling and the Sarashiki sisters all entered the lobby and meet up with the girl.

"So, how is he? Is he going to be okay?" Houki asked in worry. "When we heard he was brought here, we couldn't help but come over and see if he's still okay."

"Yes, he's doing all right for now." The girl nods in understanding. "He's stabilizing right now and he should be asleep. Follow me and I'll take you to him in the Special Ward." The IS girls all nodded as they followed her back into the elevator and went up to the Special Ward.

* * *

Once the elevator reached its destination, the doors opened up as our heroes walked out and entered the hallway. But unlike the lobby, the hallway was eerily quiet and there were no patients, doctors, nurses or visitors around. The only people around were two guards standing in front of a sealed off room.

"Okay, now this is just freaky…" Satoru muttered as he looked around. "There's no one around here and it's so quiet. Why is this floor the only one that's just silent?"

"There must be some reason why it's all quiet here." Ichka answered him as he tensed. "That's the reason why the elevator leads up here." As he looks down the hallway, he sees the two guards standing. "Hey, there's some guards over there. Maybe they might know something." Satoru and Twoearle nodded in agreement as they walked down the hall to talk with the guards. "Excuse me, but we want to ask you something? Are there people behind that door you're guarding?"

"Yes, there are. But I'm afraid the three of you can't enter." The guard answered him. "This is the Special Ward. Unless you're family or hospital staff, entry is strictly prohibited." The three friends looked at each other and nodded.

"Ok, thank you for the help, sir." Satoru said in gratitude. "We'll be taking our leave right now and you'll never see us again." The three walked down to the center of the hallway where they're far enough from the guards and huddled together. "No doubt about it, that's the Special Ward... With them having guards here, that must mean your real body's inside that room."

"But how are we going to get inside with those guards there?" Twoearle asked him confusedly as she looked at the two guards from the huddle. "They said that only family and hospital staff are allowed to enter and we're neither of them. So how are going to sneak past them?" As the three think of a plan, Ichika's Digivice rings and he answered it.

"It's me." Kyoko answered.

"Kyoko, perfect timing. We could really use some help right now." Ichika smiled as he began explaining the situation they're in. "We found the Special Ward, but there are guards keeping watch and we can't get in. They say only family or hospital staff are allowed in."

"I see, that could be a problem." Kyoko as she scratched her chin in thought. "We can ride the elevator to the Special Ward floor but can't enter the rooms without permission. It goes without saying we have no such permission. What do we do now?" She thinks for a minute until a light bulb chimes above her head. "We take out the two guards and hack our way past the door, which is likely locked, to get into the room. This is what I call frontal attack, but it takes time to prepare, and the risks are high. Let's not rely on a frontal attack now. We'll trust in your abilities—our trump card."

"You mean my Connect Jump?" Ichika asked with a serious frown.

"Yes, that's the one." Kyoko answered him with a nod. "The terminal in the nurse's station should be connected to the hospital network. I don't need to spell it out for you, do I?" The three friends all shook their heads no as she ends the call.

"Ok, let's head for the General Ward." Satoru agreed. "That's where the nurse's station is located and that's where you can enter the terminal. We don't have much time, so let's get going." Ichika and Twoearle nodded in agreement as they got back on the elevator and rode it down to the General Ward. At the same time, the second elevator opens up as the girl and the IS girls walked out and headed for the Special Ward.

* * *

As the elevator doors opened, our heroes stepped out from the elevator and entered the General Ward on the 12th floor. They looked down the hallway to find the nurse's station at the end and a terminal needed for Ichika to use his abilities.

"Ok, there's the terminal right where Kyoko-nee said it would. Right by the nurse's station." Satoru smiled. "If we can get close to the terminal, Ichika can use his Connect Jump to enter it and get inside the Special Ward." He turns to Ichika. "And since it's your real body that's inside that room, you'll have to go it alone from here."

"But what about you guys?" Ichika asked him in concern. "If I go into the terminal alone, how would you know what's going to happen?"

"Not to worry, Ichika. I've got the perfect solution for it." Twoearle answered with a smile. "I've been inventing these for three days and now, it's time to use them." She reaches into the pockets on her lab coat and takes out three small devices. "These communicators will allow us to stay in contact with each other, even if we're far apart. They also have a built in camera and it connects wirelessly to Satoru-kun's laptop. As long as one of us has one, we'll be able to see what the others are seeing." Both boys nodded in agreement as each of them takes a communicator and places them on their ears.

"Ok, now I'm ready to go." Ichika smiled. "Once I get inside the Special Ward, I'll let you guys know what's going on." Satoru and Twoearle nodded in agreement as he walks over to the terminal. He looks around to make sure no one was watching before nodding and activates Connect Jump to enter the terminal.

"Okay, he's inside the terminal now." Satoru nods as he got his laptop ready. "Now all we have to do is wait until he lets us know he's inside the Special Ward." He flips up his laptop open as their communicators connected to his laptop as the camera on Ichika's communicator activates.

* * *

 **Inside cyberspace**

* * *

After entering the terminal, Ichika arrives inside the hospital's network where, unlike the last network, is a straightforward road. Agumon appears next to him and they both knew what to do.

"Ok, here we go again, Agumon." Ichika smiled heroically. "We need to make our way to the other side of the network and get inside the Special Ward. We'll be able to get some answers there. You ready, partner?"

"You know it, Boss!" Agumon answered "Now let's inside that Special Ward place and find your real body!" Ichika nodded in agreement as they start making their way through the network before reaching the end of the tunnel and exit from cyberspace.

* * *

 **Inside the Special Ward**

* * *

After exiting the hospital network, Ichika appears inside the Special Ward and looks around. "Ok, I'm inside the Special Ward. I'd better let Satoru and Twoearle know." He touches his communicator and calls his friends. "This is Ichika, I've made it inside the Special Ward. Are you two getting all this?"

"Yeah, we're getting it, Ichika. Looks like the room isn't just sealed outside, but also inside too." Satoru answered as he brought up a map. "All the patients are sealed up on both sides of the room. Something must be up if the guards are stationed at the entrance, but what?" Before anyone could answer, Ichika's Digivice rings and he answers it as he and Twoearle can also hear.

"You've managed to get there without incident! Hee hee! Just as I expected it would go!" Kyoko smiled.

"Kyoko!" The three friends all said happily.

"Okay, let's move into action." Kyoko smirked. "Get the data from the room in the back while keeping an eye on the patient. Satoru, I trust you're ready at the keyboard to gather the info?"

"I'm ready, Kyoko-nee." Satoru answered her with a nod. "Once Ichika gets the info from the backroom, I'll be ready to gather it."

"But Kyoko, isn't that a crime to steal information from the hospital?" Ichika asked in concern.

"That's for the authorities to decide, not us." Kyoko answered him with a frown. "If it's against the law, then the law will try to stop us. But until then, we're in a bit of gray area. Detectives generally operate unchallenged when it comes to this sort of thing." She ends the call.

"She's right, Ichika. You're going to have to go against the law in our line of work." Satoru agrees with her. "There are times where the law can't do anything or is used against us, so we have to take the job in these kinds of situations. It's not pretty, but that's how it works in the life of a detective." He ends the call as Ichika went silent before walking towards the room in the back of the ward.

As Ichika walks towards the backroom, he stops in his tracks and turns to his left to see his physical body lying in bed with a breathing mask on his mouth. "No way! Is that… me? Is this my… physical body?" He takes a deep breath and calms down. "That was shocking but… I wasn't expecting to see that my own body in such good shape. I should be happy, I suppose. But if I'm being kept in an isolated ward… …then I really must have EDEN Syndrome." He slumps down in depression. "What am I going to tell Houki and the others about this?" He continues on to the backroom as the doors opens for him and he sees one computer still active. "Okay, I'm at a still active computer and searching now. Satoru, are you getting all the information here?"

"Oh yeah, I'm getting everything here." Satoru answered him as he looks carefully at the screen. "From what we're seeing, I can tell you this is much more serious than we thought. I'll read through each of the files and we'll see what's really going on." Ichika nodded as he sends the files to his laptop. "Ok, I've got the files. Now we'll see just what kind of scheme Kamishino's been hiding."

"File 001: EDEN Syndrome. A mysterious illness whereby people suddenly fall into comas while connected to the EDEN network. Originally, the term was given to the incessant vomiting and other symptoms common to those unused to spending time in the Digital World. But now, EDEN Syndrome is used to describe the more serious malady of inexplicable loss of consciousness while connected to the EDEN Network. After an extended time in a coma, the body weakens, becoming more susceptible to complications. In the worst cases, this has led to death."

"So all the patients here with EDEN Syndrome are in comas…" Twoearle muttered as she ponders this. "That must be the reason why they're all isolated in that one room with two guards standing out front."

"That's not all, let's check out the second file." Satoru continued. "This one says they're looking for ways of treatment to get everyone out of the EDEN Syndrome."

"Fiel 002: Treatments for EDEN Syndrome. No effective treatment has been found for EDEN Syndrome. Research continues into treatments and cause of this unexplained illness."

"Wait, no treatment have been found yet?" Ichika asked in shock. "But I thought they might've already found a way to cure all the patients by now. So why are some of these people are still in comas?"

"We can worry about that detail later." Satoru answered him as he selected the final file. "There's one more file here and it's about the hospital's association with Kamishino Enterprises."

"File 003: Association with Kamishino Enterprises. EDEN is a large-scale digital space operated by Kamishino Enterprises. Deeply affiliated with government agencies, EDEN's business areas are expanding quickly. Immediate improvements and user training must be provided to warn users against long login times. Furthermore, the EDEN interface uses Kamishino Enterprises' proprietary technology, making further research sharing problematic."

"Problematic, huh?" Satoru asked with a frown. "Looks like Kamishino isn't as squeaky clean as they say. If all the research is done with Kamishino's technology, then something must be up if there's a problem in sharing research with others. Okay, Ichika, we're done here. Come on back where you came and we can let Kyoko-nee what we've got."

"Roger, I'm heading back now." Ichika nods as he began to exit the room. "I guess you weren't kidding, being a detective does have to deal with these kinds of—what the?!" He stops in his tracks to see the girl again, but this time with his friends all with her as well.

"Houki? Ling? Char? Laura? Cecilia? Tatenashi? Kanzashi?" Ichika gasped in shock.

"Ichika?" The IS girls all gasped.

"Why are you here?" The girl demanded as she glared at him. "This area is supposed to be off-limits, with guards watching over the only entrance. How did you get in here? Did you do something with the guards? Who even are you?"

"I could ask you the same question. Who are you?" Ichika countered.

"Don't answer a question with a question! Answer me!" The girl shouted in anger.

"Ichika, what's going on here?" Char asked confusedly as she looked at him on concern. "Why aren't you in bed? You have the EDEN Syndrome, don't you?"

"Well, if I'm going to get out of this alive, I'll have to think of something." Ichika smiled sadly as he said this "If you want to know, then here's your answer. I'm just a plain old detective assistant." The girls all gasped in surprise.

"Detective assistant?" Ling asked as she glared at Ichika. "Ichika, what the hell are you talking about? What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"Wait, is Kuremi…" The girl was about to ask before stopping herself. "I see. Well, never mind, then." She turns to Ichika. "You came to investigate EDEN Syndrome, right?" Ichika nodded "Was there something you wanted to ask?" Ichika jumped in surprise at how cooperative she is. "I'll answer your questions. Don't get me wrong. I'm just trying to come clean in order to clear my own name, here." Ichika calms down a little. "I am in debt to Kamishino, so if you have a few questions, I can answer them, I think."

"If you're willing to answer my questions, then that;s fine with me." Ichika smiled which made the girl blush but made the IS girls a bit jealous. "So, are you ready for the questions?" The girl nodded as he clears his throat. "Okay, here's my first question to you. Who is that patient in the room next to us?" Everyone turns to Ichika's body lying in bed as the IS girls all gasped in shock.

"No…it couldn't be…"Houki stuttered in shock as she took a step back while looking at Ichika's real body on the bed and then to Ichika. "There's just no way… It's impossible…right?"

"That patient here?" The girl asked confusedly. "He was just brought in. He wasn't here a few days ago. Are you worried about him? Oh!" She looks at the patient in the bed, then looks at Ichika and back at the patient. "You two look exactly alike! Do you have a twin, perhaps?"

"No, I'm afraid I don't have a twin." ichika shook his head no.

"Hmm. I see." The girl nods in understanding. "That's… quite the coincidental resemblance then."

"Ok, now for my second question." Ichika said, hoping for a way to return back to his real body. "Is there a cure for EDEN Syndrome?"

"I've never heard of anyone recovering from it." The girl answered him sadly. "Someone I know has been stuck in a deep sleep… for a full eight years, now. I'm sure he'll be fine. Someday he's sure to wake up. For now, all I can do is wait."

"Wait, eight years?!" Ichika gawked "Your friend has been asleep here for eight years?" The girl nodded in response. "If that's true, then there's really no cure for the EDEN Syndrome?" He shakes his head "Anyway, on to my final question. What happens if you contract EDEN Syndrome?"

"What happens? Well, as you can see, patients with EDEN Syndrome all fall in a coma. I've never heard of other symptoms. Do you know someone who's shown by other symptoms?" Ichika shook his head no.

"Well, there's one more thing I want to confirm with you." Ichika said seriously. "There are rumors Kamishino's involved in some kind of conspiracy."

"That's a… misunderstanding! A mistake!" The girl protested. "Kamishino wants to find a cure for EDEN Syndrome, too! That is why they built this special ward and have specialists round the clock looking for a cure. It's ridiculous that anyone should suffer because of EDEN! I've… I've got to do something!"

"Hold on, why did she get all defensive?" Ichika asked confusedly. "If she was trying to defend Kamishino, then something must be up." Before anyone could say anything, his Digivice rings and he answers it. "Kyoko!"

"I apologize for interrupting such an important conversation, but you have an uninvited guest." Kyoko said with a frown as she ends the call quickly. Everyone turned towards the entrance and hears a childlike voice coming from outside.

"Hello, guards! Thanks for working so hard! Ooh! Another hottie!" An unfamiliar voice said happily and oddly.

"Ok, now that was just disturbing..." Tatenashi muttered with a sweat drop. "Who in their right mind would even sound like that?"

"Miss Rie? We weren't expecting you here!" The girl gasped.

"Check out the bulging pecs on this guard!" Rie squealed. "One look and my heart is all aflutter! Oh! I can't resist! *poke, poke, poke!*"

"Miss Kishibe! I'm on duty!" The guard panicked.

"Ooh! So hard!" Rie giggled playfully.

Kyoko contacts Ichika again. "Rie Kishibe. Making the rounds behind the scenes? I'm curious on what a Kamishino bigwig is doing here. We got the information we needed. Now get out of there. No need to overstay your welcome." She then noticed something on her end. "Oops! I've got a visitor as well. Regroup with Satoru and Twoearle and let's meet in the lobby, then! Don't rush, and don't make a fuss!" She ends the call as Ichika searches for a place to hide.

"Ichika, what the hell is going on here?" Houki demanded "And who was that woman you were talking to? Is there something you're not telling us?"

"I wish I could tell you, but I can't right now, Houki!" Ichika answered with a frown as he continued looking around for a place to hide. "All I can say that something strange is going on and someone is behind it! But right now, I need to get out of here!"

"Everyone, hide! Quickly!" the girl issued as everyone nodded and ran into the backroom.

Once Ichika and the IS girls had hidden in the backroom, Rie Kishibe entered the ward and walks down the hall right to where the girl was standing, guarding the backroom.

"Oh, dear Yuuko-chan. You're well, I trust?" Rie asked with a calm smirk.

"Miss Rie. What happened today?" The girl named Yuuko asked with a nervous smile "I don't recall seeing your name on the approved visitors' list."

"Oohoohoo! No, I'm not!" Rie chortled. "Maaaaybe I was just struck with a sudden urge to see my dear, darling Yuuko-chan!"

"Are you worried about me being all by my lonesome?" Yuuko asked skeptically as she glared at Rie.

"No. My Rie Senses were tingling, and I had to come see if you were being a gloomy gus again." Rie answered as she crossed her arms and smirked playfully at Yuuko. "I knew it! This is all so terrible, isn't it?"

"Nor particularly." Yuuko answered with a sweat drop.

Oohoohoo! Look at you, acting all strong. But I know. I know all about it!" Rie squealed. On the other side of the door Yuuko's blocking, Ichika and the IS girls were listening in on her and Yuuko. "By the wayyyy! What HAVE you been doing here?"

"Nothing… Nothing special." Yuuko answered with a fake laugh.

"A picnic of sorts?" Rie asked in curiosity.

"Yes! I mean, no… No, it's…" Yuuko tired to correct herself.

"Jeez, that Rie woman really has Yuuko wrapped around her finger." Tatenashi winced. "I can't help but feel sorry for her for having a guardian that acts like…that of all things." Her friends all nodded in agreement.

"Yes? Dear Yuuko-chan, is there something the matter?" Rie asked in concern, but Yuuko didn't answer. "No? Is there perhaps someone else here? Perhaps… a boyyyyfriend?" That made Ichika flinched and blushed brightly.

"No! It's nothing like that!" Yuuko answered with a stutter as she blushed madly.

"Or maybe it's a girlfriend?" Rie asked as she chortled some more. "Oohoo! Shall I have a little look?" This time, that made the IS girls all flinched and blushed brightly. "Doing something unscrupulous in that room? Or better yet, something scandalous! Oohoo!" And this time, all of them flinched and blushed even brighter.

"Ah!" Yuuko flinched as Rei starts walking towards the door.

"Damnit, she's coming this way!" Laura growled. "If she finds us here, she might think we're doing something scandalous in here! We have to get out of here, right now!"

"But how are we going to escape?" Kanzashi asked in worry "The only way out is in front of us and if we walk out, she'll catch us for sure!"

"Wait, I know how we can escape." Ichika figured out a solution as he looked at the computer in his direction. "I can use my Connect Jump on that computer over there. We can use it to get out of here without getting caught." The IS girls all looked at him in confusion.

"Connect…Jump?" Cecilia asked confusedly "What is this Connect jump, you're talking about, Ichika?"

"I'll explain everything later, Cecilia." Ichika answered her "Right now, we've got to get out of here before she finds us."

"I don't know, Ichika. I'm having some doubts about this Connect Jump thing you have." Ling said skeptically. "How do we know it can work for us? And if it doesn't, won't something bad happen to us?" Her friends all nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to all of you." Ichika reassured them with a smile. "Plus, I really want all of you to meet my new friend and partner." He holds his hand out to them and they blushed. "Now come on, let's go. We're getting out of here together." The IS girls all nodded in agreement as they joined hands while also grabbing his and he uses his Connect Jump to enter the computer.

Back outside of the room, Rie stops at the door and starts to call out. "Now, now. I've got you all figured out! You can come out now, Yuuko-chan's new squeeze! My name is Rie, and I am tasked with being Yuuko-chan's guardian, here. Holding hands, or locking lips! Guiding each other step by step toward adulthood!" The door opens to reveal the room was empty. "Well, drat! There's nobody here!" She turns her attention back to Yuuko. "But dear Yuuko-chan, it doesn't matter. You can bring one or two boyfriends, or even three dozen of them, if you'd like. Why, when I was your age… Oohoohoo! Now, then. Let's check in and see how he's doing. Don't you think he'll be happy to see two of us, together?"

"Um, sure." Yuuko answered with a sigh as Rie walks away. She then looks at the room in confusion. "Where did they…?" Our view turns towards the computer still active on the desk.

* * *

After managing to escape from being caught in the Special Ward, Ichika brought the IS girls into the computer with his Connect Jump ability and escaped just in time. Once they've entered cyberspace, Houki and her friends all couldn't even believe what they were seeing.

"Whoa, where are we?" Ling gasped in shock as she looked around "Are you guys seeing what I'm seeing?"

"We're seeing it, but we can't believe it, Ling." Cecilia answered her with a startled nod as she too look around. "We're inside cyberspace! How did we even get here?"

"You can thank my Connection Jump ability." Ichika answered with a smile. "We're inside the hospital's network, this is how I was able to get inside the Special Ward undetected and ran into all of you again. Guess I didn't expect to see you girls to visit the hospital where my body's in."

"But we didn't expect you to actually still be standing after we heard you'd gotten EDEN Syndrome." Laura retorted. "When we've heard the news about people falling into comas because of the EDEN Syndrome, we feared that you were one of the victims and we were right." Her friends all nodded in agreement. "But if you were in that bed we saw earlier, how can you still be right in front of us?"

"Believe me, it's a long story, but I can't tell you right now." Ichika answered her with a sigh. "Once we get out of here and regroup with Kyoko, Satoru and Twoearle, I'll tell you everything." His communicator then rings and he answered it. "Hold that thought for a moment. Yes, this is Ichika."

"Ichika! Boy, are we glad to finally hear your voice." Satoru sighed in relief. "We've lost contact with you before and was trying to reach you. So what in the seven hells happened inside the Special Ward? And who are those girls with you?"

"I'll tell you about it later once we meet up in the lobby." Ichika answered him with a nervous laugh. "Let's just say we had a narrow escape and had to do some quick thinking." The IS girls all nodded in agreement. "So what happened on your end? Kyoko had an uninvited visitor to her location, so I can guess the same happened to you two?"

"Yeah, we had to make a quick getaway from some guards patrolling the General Ward." Satoru answered him. "I can tell you that being cramped in a tight space with Twoearle wasn't easy, but we had to endure it until the guards lost our trail." Ichika and the IS girls all blushed at what he meant. *Anyway, we'll be heading down to the lobby to meet with Kyoko-nee. We'll see you and your friends there."

"Roger, over and out." Ichika cuts the channel "Ok, let's head back to General Ward in the real world and meet up with them in the lobby. We can explain everything there." The IS girls all nodded in agreement before he remembered something. "Oh right, there's still someone else I still need to introduce you to."

"And who would that be, Ichika?" Char asked confusedly. "Who is this person you want to introduce us to?"

"I wouldn't say he's a person, per say. But he's someone I can count on to have my back." Ichika smiled as he made Agumon appear. "Everyone, this is Agumon. A new friend and partner." The IS girls all were shocked at seeing Agumon who waved at them.

"Yo, how's it hanging, ladies." Agumon greeted "I'm Agumon, Boss' partner. Nice to meet all of you."

"Whoa, what is he?!" Ling gawked "He looks like some kind of dinosaur that can talk!"

"Believe me, I thought so too before." Ichika smiled "He's actually a Digimon, short for Digital Monsters. I met him during my time in EDEN before all of this happened. But unfortunately, I can't really say much more than that because we're pressed for time. Once we're back out in the real world, we'll explain everything back at the office." The IS girls all nodded in agreement as they followed him and Agumon back to the other end of the tunnel.

As they were heading back to the General Ward, Houki and her friends were all looking around them and seeing all the radio waves from every single electrical device ranging from computers to cellphones.

"Wow, I still can't believe we're inside an actual network." Cecilia gasped in awe. "You'd only see these in science books or just on a computer screen. But seeing it all of this from the inside of a computer, it makes you wonder how much we really know about what's going on behind the screen." Her friends all nodded in agreement while both Ichika and Agumon smiled.

"Ya know, Satoru said the same thing the first time him, Twoearle and myself entered into the network." Ichika laughed heartly. "That was also when I used my Connect Jump for the first time and this is my second time using it.* He looks at his hands. "I get the feeling I'll be using this for other situations like this down the line." Agumon nodded in agreement.

"So how did you come up with the name Connect Jump?" Kanzashi asked him out of curiosity "Was it because you jumped inside a computer or something like that?"

"Yeah, this happened before with the TV back at the agency." Ichika answered her with a grin. "And also, Kyoko's the one who came up with the name after using it for the first time. Since then, we've stuck with the name and so far, it's been really helpful for us." As he continued to explain, he noticed Agumon was feeling tensed and stopped in his tracks. "Agumon, what's wrong?"

"Boss, there's someone else here besides us. I can sense it." Agumon answered as he got ready. "I can smell another Digimon here waiting for us."

"Who's waiting for us, Agumon?" Char asked and before Agumon could answer, something comes swinging into view and hits Ichika in the face, knocking him onto the ground.

"Ichika!" The IS girls all shouted.

"Boss!" Agumon also shouted as he and the IS girls rushed over to him.

"Well well, lookie what I found here. A couple of bugs trying to escape." An unfamiliar voice laughed cruelly. "I guess the masters were right to have me waiting for you losers." Everyone turned around to see a muscular Digimon resembling an ogre wielding a bone club. "Now that I've got you squirts right where I want you, time for us to have some fun."

"Hey, just what gives you the right to attack out friend like that?!" Ling glared at him angrily. "And who the hell do you think you are, anyway?"

"The name's Ogremon, little missy." Ogremon answered with a sneer. "I've been sent here by my masters to stop you guys from escaping from here. Since you losers all know too much, I'll just have to delete all of you!" Agumon and the IS girls got into battle stance.

"Dammit, we can't fight him here!" Houki growled in anger. "If only we had our ISes, but we're inside the hospital's network. If we fight here, we'll just end up damaging everything!"

"Then let me fight Ogremon." Agumon urged. "You guys can take care of Boss while I hold him back." He walks over to Ogremon and gets into a battle stance. "Okay, big, green and ugly! Let's see what you've got!"

"Heh! A Rookie Digimon like you is gonna challenge a Champion like me? This'll be fun! Pummel Whack!" Orgemon threw his boneclub at Agumon who was knocked back a little. The boneclub went back to Ogremon and he caught it. "Is that it? I expected a Rookie like you to fight back! Well, let's try this on for size! Bone Mace!" Ogremon yelled as he slams his boneclub at Agumon who dodge rolled out of the way.

"You think you're so tough just because you're a Champion, huh?! Then try this on for size, buddy! Pepper Breath!" Agumon spit fire at Ogremon who swatted it away, Agumon sweat dropped. "Uh-oh…"

"Pummel Whack!" Ogremon laughed evilly as he threw his bone club at Agumon again, giving him medium damage. But Agumon stood firm, but barely standing.

"Oh no! Agumon!" Kanzashi gasped in shock.

"Ah crap, this looks bad…" Ling grimaced as she gulped nervously.

"What's the matter, dino-breath?" Ogremon sneered as he walked slowly and menacely towards Agumon. "Where's that spunk you have?"

"Oh no… If this keeps up…" Cecilia stammered. Suddenly, Ichika slowly stands up. "I-Ichika?!" She gasped, her friends noticed.

"Agumon…" Ichika smiled wearily at his partner. "You're not gonna let an evil jerk like him win, are you? I remember what Yuugo told me about Digivolving to become stronger." Agumon paid heed to Ichika's words as he remember what Yuugo told him and Ichika about Digivolving. "So if you can Digivolve, we might stand a chance!"

"Digivolve? What the hell is Digivolving?" Laura muttered.

"Y-You're right, Boss! There's no way in heck I'll lose to this jerk! So lend me your strength, Boss!" Suddenly, Agumon started to glow.

"Now you're talking!" Ichika grinned as he stands by to issue orders.

 **(Brave Heart Tri from Digimon Adventure Tri plays)**

"Agumon… Digivolve to…!" Agumon started to be embodied in orange light and started to grow until the growing stopped and reveal Agumon in a new form. Agumon now looks like an orange Tyrannosaurus rex with orange eyes, and spikes on its arms, shoulders, and jaw, with blue tips on them. It has blue stripes on its legs, arms, neck, torax, mouth and tail. It wears red training bracers and a brown helmet with three horns and multiple spikes on it. The helmet also has red stripes, and the spikes have red tips. "GeoGreymon!" GeoGreymon roared.

"N-No way! That dino-brat digivolved?!" Ogremon gawked before he regain his composure and yelled "I can still take you on! Pummel Whack!" He threw his club at GeoGreymon but the now Champion partner of Ichika used his tail to whip it away.

"Now the tides have turned, Ogremon!" GeoGreymon yelled heroically as he got ready to use one of his attacks. "Mega Shot!" GeoGreymon fired a fireball from his mouth as it gave Ogremon bigger damage.

"Whoa! Did you guys see that?!" Tatenashi gasped in awe and shock.

"Yeah! Agumon just got bigger and is whooping some ass!" Ling cheered.

"Alright, GeoGreymon, kick some tail!" Ichika grinned as he gave his partner a thumbs up.

"Right away, Boss! Mega Roar!" GeoGreymon let out a mighty roar that hit Ogremon for even bigger damage. "Horn Impulse!" GeoGreymon yelled as he charged towards Ogremon and rammed into him, giving him bigger damage than before.

"I-I'm getting out of here!" Orgemon panicked as he tried to escape.

"Oh no you don't! Mega Flame!" GeoGreymon breath out a powerful breath of fire onto Ogremon, Ogremon screamed in agony as he was instantly deleted.

"Amazing…" Houki whispered in awe as GeoGreymon roared in victory as he reverts back to Agumon.

After GeoGreymon deleted Ogremon and reverted back to Agumon, Ichika and the IS girls all rushed to him and make sure if he was okay. Agumon fell down on his butt while panting heavily until his partner and new friends all surrounded him and he looked up with a smile.

"Agumon!" Everyone all smiled in relief.

"Hey guys, I'm back." Agumon smiled back "Whew, that was a tough battle. Ogremon ready had me on the ropes there, but I was able to be him. I did good, didn't I?"

"You were more than good, you were awesome, Agumon!" Ling cheered "I can't believe you were able to take on that Ogremon guy and kicked his ass into next week!"

"You were able to protect us from Ogremon and managed to pull through." Char smiled "You were very brave to fight him off by yourself." She hugs Agumon and kissed his head. "That's my thanks to you, Agumon."

"Well, I couldn't have done it without Boss." Agumon chuckled nervously. "It was thanks to his will that helped me Digivolve and delete Ogremon." He turns to his partner and gave him a thumps up. "You really did it, Boss! Your strength really helped me Digivolve and delete Ogremon!"

"No Agumon, we both were able to delete Ogremon as a team." Ichika smiled "I was able to remember what Yuugo said to us back when we first met. We just have to believe in each other and that's what helped you Digivolve." He extends his hand to his partner. "So, what do you say, Agumon? Let's both work hard and watch each other's backs."

"Count on it, Boss!" Agumon nodded in agreement as he takes his partner's hand into his claw and both shook hands.

"Now that Ogremon's out of the way, let's continue on back to the real world." Ichika smiled. "Kyoko and the others are still waiting for us in the lobby. I'm sure they'll be exited to meet all of you." Agumon and the IS girls nodded in agreement as they continued through the tunnel and headed back to the real world.

* * *

Back in the General Ward, Ichika and the IS girls appeared in front of the nurse's station and were back in the real world. Houki and her friends all looked around and breathed a sigh of relief to be back in the real world again.

"Whew, that was some ride back there." Tatenashi sighed in relief. "Not gonna lie, I thought my heart was about to stop when that Ogremon creep was about to beat Agumon. Still, it's great to be back in the real world." Her friends all nodded in agreement.

"Believe me, it'll take some time to get use to." Ichika smiled "After using this ability twice now, I'm starting to get the hang of it better, but I still have to know when and where to use it." He turns to his friends. "Anyway, let's head down to the lobby. They're still waiting for us." The IS girls all nodded in agreement and headed for the elevators.

Meanwhile in the lobby, Kyoko, Satoru and Twoearle were sitting in the waiting room for Ichika to return safely. Once they heard the elevator doors open, they saw Ichika and the IS girls walked out and stepped into the lobby.

"Hey Ichika, we're over here!" Satoru called out as he and Twoearle waved him down.

"Hey guys, I'm back!" Ichika greeted "Sorry we're a little late, things got crazy and it took us a while to deal with it." Both him and Satoru fist bumped while Twoearle walked over and they high five each other as Kyoko walked up to the group. "Hey Kyoko, I'm back."

"That you are, Ichika." Kyoko smiled "You escaped that predicament all on your own. Hee hee! See, I knew you could do it!" She then noticed the IS girls right behind Ichika. "Oh, and I see you've brought some company with you. I'm assuming they're your friends, Ichika?"

"Yeah, they're my friends from the IS Academy." Ichika answered her. "But I can tell you the rest later back at the agency. We don't want to risk getting caught while we're still here."

"Indeed, we could be in trouble the more we stay here." Kyoko agrees "Now, then, shall we head back?" Everyone nodded in agreement as they left the hospital and headed back to Nakano.

* * *

 **Later**

* * *

Back at the agency, Kyoko was sitting at her desk and listening to what Ichika had learned while investigating the Special Ward. From learning that his physical body being brought there only recently, meeting up with Houki and the others while they were visiting, nearly getting caught by Kamishino's bigwig and getting into a battle with Ogremon and having Agumon Digivolve for the first time.

"I must admit, you've managed to gotten out a number of scrapes, Ichika." Kyoko said in awe as she put her hand on her chin. "I didn't think they'd send in another Digimon to attack you if you and your friends managed to escape the Special Ward." Ichika nodded before slumping in disappointment. "Still, I can't imagine what the shock of seeing your own body from the outside is like. If we think of it like an out-of-body experience, maybe we can find a solution."

"Out of body experience?" Ichika repeated in confusion. "What do you mean by that, Kyoko?"

"Think of it like this, you're the first EDEN Syndrome patient to exhibit these particular symptoms—the first "irregular" amongst them." Kyoko explained "Simply knowing that is a major step in getting to the bottom of this." Ichika cheers up a little.

"Yeah, you're right, Kyoko." Ichika agrees "As long as I know my body's still safe for now, I can rest a little easier. But knowing that they're doing something under people's noses, I can't let this go unpunished. If they do managed to make a move, I'll be ready for them."

"I can understand your feelings, but we can't do anything at the moment." Kyoko reasoned. "Unless we gather more information, we'll just be running about blind. We can't rush the investigation. Mustn't hurry things along. Stay calm, stay cool." She closed her eyes as she started to remember something. "Doggedly and with your might, exhibit endurance like hard black iron. My father used to say that all the time."

"Your father used to say that, Kyoko-san?" Houki asked in awe "Those are some words he lived by, didn't he?" Kyoko nodded "So where is he now?"

"He's long gone now." Kyoko answered her with a sad sigh "Died in action years ago. They say he was working on a big case, but he never came back alive. Those words I just said we're the last things I remember of him before his death."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Houki apologized "I didn't even realize your father died until now." She turns to face Satoru who had his head down. "But if you two are cousins, dose that also make him…?"

"Yeah, my uncle." Satoru answered with a despondent sigh. "He was the brother to my mother who also died alongside him during that same case. Ever since they've died, I've been living with Kyoko-nee for years now. She's also now my guardian." Twoearle pulls him into her breasts, but he didn't even struggle this time.

"I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have brought that up." Houki apologized.

"It's all right, we've managed to overcome their deaths." Kyoko smiled. "It may have taken some time for Satoru, but he was back to normal self in no time. But back to the issue at hand! What are you and your friends planning to do next, Ichika?"

"Hmm, that's a good question." Ichika agrees "I never really gave it much thought until you asked. I'm not even sure what to do next."

"That so? Well, you must have something planned." Kyoko murmured in understanding. "Don't you want to return to your original body? Don't you want to know the truth of what happened?"

Ichika thinks for a minute before nodding his head. "Yes, I do want to return to my original body and I do want to know the truth about what happened!"

"Hehe! Good answer, Ichika." Kyoko grinned. "Hmph. Then it's decided. You and your friends should work here, as my assailants."

"Your assistants!" Everyone gasped in shock.

"Yes, all eight of you will be working as my assistants." Kyoko smiled "There'll be many cases dealing with EDEN and cyber crimes. The more work you do, the more clues we'll be able to find. Don't worry. I am certain of your potential. And while you're at it, I'll cover your rooms and boards. Heh. Besides, with Ichika's talents, who else is better suited for cyber-investigations. I'm expecting great things!"

"Don't worry, you can count on us, Kyoko!" Ichika gave her a thumbs up. "We'll be helping those in need and making sure the cyber crimes are dealt with!" The IS girls all nodded in agreement.

"Excellent! We have an agreement." Kyoko nods "From this point forward, all of you are my assistant Cyber Sleuths!" Ichika and his friends all nodded in agreement "Hmm. Have a seat on the sofa and wait. I'll make some coffee. We'll drink a toast to celebrate!" That made Satoru and Twoearle flinched in fear as she walks over to the coffee maker.

"Oh no, not another one of her special coffees." Satoru gasped in horror. "I don't know if I can even take another sip from it again. I nearly died just from the smell." Twoearle nodded in agreement as she remembers the first time she drank one of the coffees.

"I don't know what you two are complaining about." Ling assured them. "There's nothing wrong with coffee. I'm sure it's just your imaginations playing tricks on you guys."

"You don't understand, we're not trying to scare you or anything like that." Towearle reasoned with a stutter "Kyoko's coffees aren't anything made from this world! She mixes in ingredients that aren't even made for coffee in the first place! You guys need to get out of here while you still have a chance!"

"I'm sure you're both just exaggerating." Cecilia said "I'm certain her coffees are not as dangerous or lethal as you say it is." Just then, Kyoko came back with eight cups of coffee in her hands.

"Here you go, everyone. Seaweed and red bean paste coffee. My specialty." Kyoko smiled "Just this thing you'll all be needing for what's ahead." Everyone all looked at the cups of coffee as the seaweed and paste swirled around. "Oh. I know it looks all fancy, but wait until you all get a load of the flavor and aroma!" She takes her cup and holds it out. "Here's to you, Cyber Sleuths!"

"Well, here goes nothing!" Ichika gulped as he and the IS girls all drank their cups of coffee before falling down onto the floor with a loud crash.

"We tried to warn them…" Satoru sighed.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next chapter: IS Girls and Digimon Partners: Part 1 of 7: Houki and Elecmon**

 **A/n: Sorry it took so long for this chapter to be finished. Anyway, next up is the first part of the 7 part mini-arc where the IS girls get their Digimon partners, first up, Houki and Elecmon. See you then.**


	3. IS Girls and Digimon Partners 1 of 7

**A/N: Here is another chapter. Also, Panther J is going to Puerto Rico to attend his aunt and uncle's wedding, so congratulations to Panther J's aunt and uncle. Here is Chapter 3!**

 **Chapter 3: IS Girls and Digimon Partners: Part 1 of 7: Houki and Elecmon**

* * *

The next day after becoming Cyber Sleuths by Kyoko, Ichika wakes up back in his bed in his house. Ever since meeting with Agumon and gaining a half-cyber body, he now knows he need to find out what's really going on behind the scenes of Kamishino Enterprise and return back to his original body.

As Ichika wakes up, he feels a pain in his stomach as he still remembers Kyoko's coffee. "Ugh… So that's what Detective Matayoshi, Satoru and Twoearle meant when they warned us about Kyoko's coffee…" He clutched his stomach with a wince. "From now on, I'm keeping my distance from her coffee as much as possible!" He then looks at his clock and sees it's 9:43. "Oh crap, I'm gonna be late for school! I need to get ready and head for the academy!" He jumps out of bed and rushes down the hall.

Ichika then enters the bathroom as he turns on the water in the shower and strips from his PJs and enters before closing the curtains. A few minutes later, he grabs his towel from the hanger and wraps it around his waist before stepping out and starts brushing his teeth. Once he was done, he returns to his room and opens his closet to grab his uniform and gets dressed. After he was fully dressed, Ichika makes his way downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. Seeing as how he doesn't have much time left, he settled for some cereal for now until lunch. Once he's finished with his cereal, he exits the front door and makes a mad dash for the monorail where Houki and the others were waiting for him.

* * *

"Where is Ichika?" Cecilia asked with a frown as she tapped her foot impatiently. "He should've been here twenty minutes ago. The monorail's about to leave and we'll be late for class! And if we're late, it'll set a bad example for all the recent students!"

"Oh, keep your skirt on. I'm sure he'll be here any minute." Ling moaned. "He was probably still feeling the pain from Kyoko's coffee yesterday like all of us were. I guess that's what we get for not listening to Satoru and Twoearle's warnings." Her friends all nodded in agreement as they still remembered how Kyoko's coffee knocked them out.

"Oy vey, don't remind me. I still have nightmares of that." Houki groaned as she clutched her stomach. "I can't believe she actually mixed in seaweed and red bean paste in that coffee she gave us. She must have some weird tastebuds if she likes to mix in strange ingredients into her coffee." Her friends all nodded in agreement again until they see Ichika running towards them.

"Oh, here he comes now." Char smiled and waved as Ichika stops before them

"Hey, sorry I'm late. Had to take a detour because the roadway was blocked off for construction." Ichika apologized as he looked at his friends and could tell they are still feeling the effects of the coffee from yesterday. "So how are all of you feeling? Still have the taste of Kyoko's coffee?"

"Yeah, and it's still there." Tatenashi answered him as she stick out her tongue in disgust. "I tried using mouthwash to get the taste out, but I can still taste it. We definitely should've listened to them when they warned us."

"Tell me about it, Detective Matayoshi warned me too, but I didn't really understand what he meant before." Ichika agrees with a sigh. "He even said he fears the day that he'll be forced to drink her coffee. I guessed he must've tasted it as well and is now afraid of the day he'll have to drink it."

"Yikes, I feel bad for the guy…" Ling gulped. "After what we've tasted, I'd hate to see him being forced to drink her coffee." Everyone nodded in agreement until they all looked at the clock. "Uh-oh, we'd better get on the monorail and fast! It's the last ride to the academy and if we miss this, we'll really be late for class!" Everyone nodded in agreement as they raced up the stairs to the monorail and managed to get aboard just before it departed from the station to the IS Academy.

* * *

Upon arriving at the academy grounds, Ichika and the IS girls all raced through the halls to their classroom and managed to make it just before the bell rings and sat down at their desks. At this moment, Maya enters the classroom and makes her way to the desk at the front of the room.

"Okay, everyone, settle down. I've got some announcements to make before we start class." Maya smiled as she cleared her throat. "First off, as most of you already know, Chifuyu-sensei left for a business trip for two months and won't be back until the end of May." All the girls and Ichika nodded. "However, just before she left, she talked to me about a program we've wanted to do for some time now, but never got the chance to." Everyone all looked at each other in confusion.

"Program? What kind of program is that, Maya-sensei?" One girl asked with curiosity.

"Well, it's something like this." Maya answered her. "As all of you are aware, our school is for only girls and training them on how to use the IS." Everyone nodded in agreement "And as you also know, there's only one exception to that rule." All the girls looked at Ichika who nervously chuckled. "Well, that's where this program comes in. She wanted to see if our school can become co-ed and have boys come as well." That made all the girls jump in excitement.

"Wait, boys? You mean boys are really going to be coming here to our school?!" Another girl squealed.

"That's right, we're going to have boys be coming here and study alongside you girls." Maya answered with a smile. "This was what we've been discussing about just before Chifuyu-sensei left. We discussed it to the other teachers and they all agreed."

"But if more boys are coming here, do they all pilot an IS like Ichika can?" A third girl asked in confusion.

"Unfortunately, unlike Ichika, none of the boys will be piloting an IS like the rest of us." Maya answered her before smiling again. "But seeing this problem, Chifuyu came up with a solution for that. While we'll still be teaching the boys about the IS and how to operate them, they'll be trained in how to use a special suit that can control it alongside us wearing the IS. Think of it like as having a co-pilot on a plane. They'll be wearing special suits that remotely controls the IS like a puppet, so be sure you both work together. They can even use the suits to pilot the IS if the pilot is hurt or unconsciousness, almost like having a wingman right by you all the time."

"Wow, that's amazing!" A fourth girl gasped in awe. "It's like we're having our own guardian angels with us. So are all the boys going to use these suits that you've mentioned?"

"Not all of them, most of the boys will be more like mechanics in keeping the IS in peek condition." Maya answered her as she began explaining. "They'll be taught the ins and outs of the endoskeleton and how to make adjustments if need to." Everyone nodded in response. "On that note, let's meet our two new students. They'll be part of the program I mentioned earlier, so treat them with respect." Everyone nodded as she gestured them to come in. The door opens as Satoru and Twoearle walked in and made Ichika and the IS girls all gasped in shock.

"No way!" Ichika gawked.

"They can't be serious!" Houki gawked.

"What are they doing here?!" Cecilia asked in shock.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ling gawked as a piano fell behind her.

"Everyone, I want all of you to meet Satoru Kuremi and Twoearle." Maya introduced them. "They'll be with us as part of the program until the end of the year, so treat them well." She turns to them and smiled. "Okay, you two. Go ahead and introduce yourselves." Satoru and Twoearle nodded as they stepped forward and bowed.

"Hello, everyone. It's nice to meet all of you." Satoru greeted with a smile. "My name is Satoru Kuremi and I'm pleased to meet you. I hope we can get to know each other better."

* * *

 **Later at lunch**

* * *

Not long after the introduction of Satoru and Twoearle, our heroes later meet up in the cafeteria to ask them about how they were admitted into the school and were they aware of the program Maya mentioned before.

"So let's see if we got this right..." Houki began as she remembered what Satoru and Twoearle told her and her friends. "From what you're telling us, Kyoko had you two enrolled into our school because not only she wanted you to be closer to us, but also to make sure we don't get lost on our way to the agency after school, right?"

"Yeah, that was her plan." Satoru answered her with a nod. "Since she knows you guys are pretty far off from Nakano Broadway, we're here to guide you back to the office. She also wants to tell you guys something important now that you're all working at the agency as Cyber Sleuths and it's about that time to show you the cases you'll all be taking. We can't reveal much, but we're sure it's mostly about dealing with hackers stealing someone's account and using it for their enjoyment among other things like that nature." Twoearle nodded in agreement while still glaring at all the other girls staring at him.

"Makes sense, since we're working for Kyoko now." Ichika agrees in understanding. "She'll be the one giving us cases to do and we have to complete each of them for people." Satoru, Twoearle and the IS girls all nodded in agreement. "But there's something else I'm wondering back when we first met. Kyoko called you her apprentice, right?" Satoru nodded "And since we're now her assistants and working under her, does that mean…?"

"Yep, we'll be working together on every case we receive." Satoru answered him with a nod. "Kyoko-nee's been teaching me how to be a detective like her and our parents, but there are still some things I need to learn myself. Which is also the reason why she had us enrolled here at the IS Academy and learn from you guys."

"Wow, Kyoko sure knows how to think ahead." Cecilia gasped in awe. "But for a detective like her, that's to be expected in her line of work. I wonder what kind of cases we'll be receiving once we arrive back at the agency?"

"We'll have to wait and see once we meet up with Kyoko again." Char answered her. "As soon as we head for the agency, I'm sure she'll tell us then." Everyone nodded in agreement as she turned to Satoru. "Still, it must've been surprising for you to have the girls start crowding over you, wasn't it?" Satoru nodded as he still remembers how the girls all jumped on him.

* * *

 **Flashback, two hours ago**

* * *

"Hello, it's nice to meet all of you." Satoru greeted with a smile "My name Satoru Kuremi and I'll be attending this school as part of the program. I hope we can get to know each other."

"Hey there, I'm Twoearle. Nice to meet you." Twoearle greeted, smiling as well. "Much like Satoru-kun, I'll be attending here as part of the program as well. I may not fly this IS you used, but I can make adjustments to it, if you need me to. Hope we can get along."

Everyone in the classroom went dead silent as they all stared at the two new arrivals with shock and awe. Then suddenly, all the girls, except for Houki and her friends, all jumped from their seats and started crowding around Satoru while sending Twoearle flying across the room and crashes on the wall.

"Ow, that's gonna leave a mark…" Ling winced. as her friends all nodded in agreement before turning back at their other friend being crowed around.

"Wow, he's so cute!" One girl squealed.

"He sure is! I could just eat him up!" Another girl agrees with a giggle.

"And those glasses of his just makes him even cuter! I didn't think it was even possible!" A third girl also agrees with hearts in her eyes.

"Wow, he seems to having it just as bad as you, Ichika…" Tatenashi muttered. "All the girls are just going crazy for him and this is just one classroom. Imagine him being chased around the campus by the rest of the girls." Her friends all nodded in agreement.

"I don't know, he seems to be having it far worse than me..." Ichika sighed. "I know the girls have done the same thing to me, but from what we're seeing, they seem to be cuddling him like he's a stuffed animal. He's probably going to have a harder time getting around the campus with having to run from a stampede of girls." The IS girls all nodded in agreement as Twoearle recovers and rushed back to the crowd.

"Hey! All of you, get away from him!" Twoearle yelled in fury. "You're all going to suffocate him if you crowd around like that!" She reaches into the crowd of girls until she feels Satoru's arm and pulls him out from the crowd and right into her breasts. "Plus, he's all mine! There's no way in hell I'm giving him to any of you!" That made all the girls feel determined to have Satoru for themselves while Ichika and the IS girls all sighed in annoyance.

* * *

 **End flashback**

* * *

"Yeah, that did take me by surprise." Satoru agrees with a nervous smile and sweat drop. "I didn't think all the girls would've surrounded me in like a split second and started hugging me like I was a teddy bear." He turns to Ichika. "I guess you weren't kidding when all the girls went crazy for you the first time you enrolled here."

"Tell me about it, I had to use my wits to even survive a day here." Ichika agrees with a sigh. "I guess I should've given you a heads up about their…ahem….eagerness to meeting with boys. Still, it's never a dull moment here and I don't regret enrolling here one bit. But just to make sure, watch your step around here."

"Will do, Ichika." Satoru nodded as they continued talking until lunch was over and they all headed back to class.

* * *

After class has ended, Ichika, Satoru, Twoearle and the IS girls all took the monorail back to the mainland as they were now heading for the agency back at Nakano. Upon arriving at the station, they decided to take a bus to Shinjuku and change buses from there.

"So, what did you think of Kyoko-nee's coffee?" Satoru asked his friends. "Was it as delicious as you all thought or as painful as it tastes when you guys fell on the floor?"

"Painful, definitely painful..." Ling answered with a groan as she clutched her stomach. "You guys were right about her coffee not being made from this world. I didn't think someone would be crazy enough to add in seaweed and red bean paste into coffee. I still can taste it in my mouth no matter how many times I brushed my teeth." Her friends all nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Satoru apologized as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Kyoko-nee likes to add in other ingredients into her coffees. She said it's to bring out the flavor or something like that. I guess we're just not up to those kinds of flavors she mentioned."

"Still, you tried to warn us about the coffee and we didn't listen." Laura said in gratitude. "If anything, we're the ones who should be apologizing for not taking your warnings seriously and we paid the price for it. I hope you can forgive us for not listening." Her friends all nodded in agreement as they bowed their heads to Satoru and Twoearle.

"Hey, that's all water under the bridge." Satoru smiled in reassurance. "Just think of it as an experience that you won't forget, no matter how hard you try to. I guess from now on, let's all make an effort to never drink her coffee." Everyone nodded in agreement as Ling decides to change the subject.

"By the way, there's something we've been wondering, Satoru." Ling began. "Who's your Digimon partner? Ichika already showed us Agumon yesterday, so we're wondering what kind of Digimon you have for a partner."

"Huh, I never did introduced you guys to him yet." Satoru realized as he knew Ling was right. "I guess it wasn't that important because we were pressed for time yesterday." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Well, since you asked, allow me to introduce you guys to my partner." He takes out his phone from his pocket and shows it to them as Dorumon appears onscreen. "Everyone, meet my partner, Dorumon."

"Hello, everyone. It's nice to finally meet all of you." Dorumon greeted with a smile. "As my partner mentioned, my name is Dorumon. I hope we can get to know each other better."

"It's nice to meet you as well, Dorumon." Char greeted back with a smile. "You and Agumon sure are lucky to have Satoru and Ichika as partners by your side. I really do hope we can get along as well." Dorumon smiled and nodded in agreement. "By the way, why are you inside Satoru's phone? When Ichika introduced us to Agumon, we could see him standing right in front of us."

"Yeah, we did see Agumon in front of us when we met him." Tatenashi agrees with her. "So how come we can't see you in person, Dorumon? Is there some kind of reason why we can only see you from inside Satoru's phone?"

"Unfortunately, there is a problem to that." Dorumon answered her as he began explaining. "The reason why you ladies met Agumon yesterday was because all of you were inside cyberspace. Our bodies are comprised of data, so we can't exist in the real world with you. But it's also because of that every reason humans thinks of us as programs and use us for all kinds of evil deeds. I was lucky that Satoru became my partner is because he didn't see me as a program, but as a living creature."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Dorumon..." Kanzashi said while lowering her head despondently. "I didn't know there were some humans who thinks you're nothing but a program. I hope we get to see you in person one day."

"Yeah, me too." Dorumon agrees as the driver made his announcement.

"Attention, passengers. May I have your attention please." The bus driver announced. "We are about 15 minutes away from Shinjuku District. If you are departing here, please gather up your belongings and watch your step as you exit the bus. The next bus to Nakano Broadway is located on the opposite end of this station and will be leaving in 30 minutes. Thank you for riding with us."

"Well, there's our stop. Shinjuku District." Houki smiled as she and her friends got ready to get up. "Once we get off this bus at the bus stop, we'll be heading for Nakano on the next bus." Everyone nodded in agreement as the bus arrived in Shinjuku and dropped off our heroes and headed for the next bus to continue on towards Nakano.

* * *

After riding the bus for half an hour, Ichika and his friends finally arrived at the entrance to Nakano Broadway. As our heroes entered the shopping center, they made their way to the Kuremi Detective Agency until they've reached it and entered the office where Kyoko was sitting at her desk while reading a book.

"Welcome back, everyone." Kyoko greeted with a smile as she puts the book down. "I trust your trip here was a relaxing one?" Everyone nodded. "Glad to here. And I can also see you're all getting along nicely."

"Yeah, we've been talking with each other on the way here." Ichika nodded with a smile. "We talked about a lot things and Satoru even introduced them to Dorumon along the way." Everyone nodded in agreement. "They also told us that you were the one who enrolled them at the IS Academy as part of the program going on."

"Well, you heard right, my assistant." Kyoko smirked. "I did enroll my two apprentices as students at your school. I figured since that you'll all be working together, this could be the best way to have you guys get to know each other better. And seeing all of you getting along on your way here, I'd say it worked out better than I expected."

"Yeah, it certainly did, Kyoko-san." Houki agrees with a smile as she placed her hand on her hip. "While we were surprised to see them as new students, we're also glad to have them as our classmates at our school." Everyone nodded in agreement before Houki asked Kyoko something else."But if you don't mind me asking, how did you know about the program Maya-sensei told us about? Did someone you know tell you about that?"

"Yes, my old friend and Ichika's sister Chifuyu Orimura told me." Kyoko answered her as the IS girls all gasped in shock while Ichika, Satoru and Twoearle already knew.

"Wait, you know Chifuyu-sensei?" Cecilia asked in shock. "And both you and her are old friends?" Kyoko nodded.

"Yes, you can say we were childhood friends." Kyoko answered her. "We've been friends all the way to high school until we graduated and went our separate ways. I don't need to tell you what Chifuyu did later down the line." Ichika and the IS girls all knew what she was talking about. "As for me, I took over my father's agency after his and my aunt's death while also taking care of Satoru as no one else wanted to watch over him." Everyone all looked at Satoru who had his head down.

"Is that true, Satoru?" Kanzashi asked in shock. "No one really wanted to take you in after the death of your mother and uncle?"

"Yeah, it is…" Satoru answered her sadly. "They all thought of me as nothing but a burden or just don't bother with me. Kyoko-nee, my uncle and Mom were the only ones who even cared about me and kept everyone else away. But now that both my mom and uncle are gone, Kyoko-nee's the only one I have left." Everyone couldn't help but feel sorry for him as Tworeale embraced him.

"That's also another reason why I had them enroll at your school." Kyoko added. "I wanted him to be around other people and after being around all of you since yesterday, he's been the happiest I've seen him in a long time. I hope all of you can watch over him for me." Everyone nodded as they all gathered around Satoru.

"Leave this to us, Kyoko." Ichika smiled softly. "We'll be the best friends he ever has. We're not going to let anyone make our friend sad." Everyone all nodded in agreement as Satoru had a tear in his eye.

"You guys…" Satoru whispered with a soft smile.

"Glad to hear that, I know you'll all be great friends." Kyoko smiled back before clearing her throat. "But now, let's get down to it. I have something for all of you. Your first duty to kick off your new career as cyber sleuths. If Nakano is going to be your base of operations, all of you should make the rounds and introduce yourselves to the various establishments here. You'll all be depending on these places a lot, so it's important to let them know who you are." Ichika and the IS girls all nodded as she turned to Satoru and Twoearle. "Since everyone here in Nakano are familiar with you two, how about you give them the grand tour before we start on the case?"

"Leave it to us, Kyoko-nee." Satoru said as he nodded. "We'll have Ichika and everyone be familiar with everything Nakano has to offer." Twoearle nodded in agreement.

"Great, I'll be counting on you two." Kyoko smiled as she began explaining. "Now then, what to talk about next? Hmm… Oh yeah. Let me explain about the white board." She gestured to a whiteboard on the wall behind her. "Hanging on the wall to the right of my desk is a whiteboard. You see it?" Ichika and the IS girls looked towards the white board and nodded. "You can accept cases from there. Field practice is better than book learning. I'll put some simple cases up on the whiteboard. Check it out, and start working on some cases." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Okay, now that that's done, let's get this tour started." Satoru smiled. "We'll show you all four floors of Nakano and everything it has to offer for everyone." Everyone nodded in agreement as they exited the office and started on the tour of Nakano Broadway.

But before our heroes left the office, Kyoko stopped them. "Oh yeah, there's one more thing I want all of you to do for me before starting on your tour." She gestured back to the whiteboard. "I've already placed a case for you to perform." Ichika nodded as he walks over to the whiteboard and finds only one paper tacked onto the board.

"The K-Cafe?" Ichika asked in confusion as he looked at Kyoko. "You want us to go and purchase coffee beans for you from the cafe?"

"Yes, that's my request to all of you." Kyoko answered him with a nod. "It's a simple task, so I'm sure you'll all get the hang of it soon enough. Make sure you pick up those coffee beans before coming back from your tour of Nakano." Ichika nodded as he returns to his friends. "Satoru, I trust you and Twoearle know which floor the K-Cafe is, right?"

"Yeah, we know where the cafe is." Satoru nodded in response. "Since it's on the 4th floor, we'll make it our final stop on the tour."

"Excellent, make you all say hello to everyone." "Kyoko smiled in approval. "Also, be sure to check the whiteboard from time to time. I'll be putting up more and more cases as you all progress, so make sure to see if there are any more. I'm counting on you with my case." Everyone nodded as they all exited the office to start the tour.

* * *

After exiting the office and entered the hallway, Satoru walks in front of the group and turns to face them. "Okay, guys. Here's how we're gonna start on the tour." Points to the directory on the wall. "Nakano has four floors and we'll be going through each one to show everything it has to offer. Since we're on the 1st floor, we'll start the tour here and work our way to the other three floors later on. So, any questions?" No one answered. "Perfect, then let's get started." As he was about to lead his friends around Nakano, they were stopped by a familiar face just outside of the office.

"Good day, Cyber Sleuths." Mirei greeted with a smile.

"Mirei!" Ichika, Satoru and Twoearle yelled in surprise.

"Mirei?" The IS girls asked in confusion.

"What are you doing outside of the DigiLab, Mirei?" Ichika asked as he rubbed his eyes in shock at the sight of Mirei out here in the real world.

"I thought it was about time you and your friends came by." Mirei answered him as she looked at Ichika. "Won't you come inside my little shop? There's something I have to do for you." That made the IS girls jealous as they all glared at him.

"Huh? You want me to enter your shop?" Ichika asked in confusion. "What's this something you want to do for me?"

"We are bound by fate to do this. Hurry, please." Mirei said seriously as she grabs his arm and starts dragging him into her shop.

"Hey, wait! What do you mean that we're bound by fate?" Ichika gawked as he was pulled into Mirei's shop while the IS girls intensified their glares at him.

"Okay… that came out of nowhere…" Satoru muttered in confusion. "I didn't think we'd see Mirei here in the real world. I wonder what she needs Ichika for?" Twoearle shrugged her shoulders while the IS girls turned towards them.

"Hold on, how do you guys know her?" Ling asked with a angry frown. "Who is that woman and what reason does she need Ichika for? She said they were bound by fate or something, but what does she mean by that?" Her friends all nodded in agreement while still glaring at them.

"Whoa, just calm down for a moment, ladies. There's a really good explanation for this." Satoru reasoned with a sheepish grin. "We met her after Ichika used his Connect Jump for the first time yesterday. When we arrived in EDEN, Ichika walked into this bright light and we followed him until ended up in this place called the DigiLab where we also met Mirei. She said that Ichika was the one who called her and that's what led us to the DigiLab."

"Wait, he's the one who called her?!" Cecilia asked while growling in fury. "Why is that she's the one he called for and not us?! I can't believe that two timing jerk!"

"Wait, let's not jump into conclusions just yet." Satoru reasoned with her. "I'm sure it's not what you're all thinking, but let's just wait and see what happens." The IS girls reluctantly nodded as they all heard Ichika and Mirie's voices from inside the shop.

"Okay, then, stick your hand out." Mirei instructed. "It'll be over soon. Hold still."

"Okay, if you say so." Ichika sighed.

"Next is… the other thing." Mirei added as she begins something "Turn around, don't move… Leave it all to me."

"Hey, what are you doing?" Ichika asked in shock.

"All done!" Mirei smiled as she walks out with him "Sorry for the wait, but we're finally done!" She gestures to Ichika who was now wearing a black glove on his right hand with an X on his backhand and a double circle on his palm.

"Mirei-san, why am I wearing a glove?" Ichika asked as he looked at the glove in confusion. "And how come does it look like I was given some kind of new feature?"

"That's because you were given a new feature." Mirei answered him. "I installed a special program into your cyber form, adding some new features. You can now scan physical things with your right glove and capture data of the target."

"So what does that mean?" Ichika asked in confusion, blinking.

"In other words, once things from the real world are in your hand, they can become cyber data and be brought into cyberspace with you." Mirei answered him with another of her calm smiles.

"Wow…" Ichika gasped in awe while staring at his glove.

"Acquired data will be kept in your storage." Mirei explained. "Such a convenient world we live in today, don't you think? Modern technology and whatnot."

"Hey, this isn't just any technology, you know!" Ling fumed. "All those things have helped us improve our lives and helps us with stuff we couldn't do normally!"

"Maybe, but you shouldn't be surprised by such things." Mirei told her sternly. "If one of you aren't prepared, his body will continue to…" She stops herself as everyone looked at her. "No, it's better if you don't know what the future holds. All should be as fate directs."

"As fate directs?" Laura repeated while glaring at Mirei. "What do you mean by that?"

"That is something you'll all be finding out as your journey progresses." Mirei answered her. "But if you lose your way, come and see me. I shall be happy to point you in the right direction, to the best of my ability." Everyone nodded as Mirei began explaining. "Use a Connection Jump to come directly to the DigiLab from wherever you might be." She then turned serious and adjusted her glasses. "The border between this world and the digital one is growing thinner and thinner. The proof of that lies in the fact I was able to meet you and your friends in the real world. But that might not be a good thing as far as the world is concern. This is likely the harbinger of far worse things to come. And if that's the case, then several other worlds will be affected by this as well."

"A harbinger? What kind of harbinger are you talking about?" Houki asked in confusion. "And you said other worlds, right?" Mirei nodded in response to Houki's question. "What do you mean by them being affected?"

"It means that because of the border between this world and the digital one weakening, the borders from other worlds are starting to weaken as well." Mirei answered her as she began explaining seriously. "That's what keeps them separated, unaware of each other's existence. But if the borders between them are weaken, then it's only a matter of time before all worlds are aware of the others' existence." Everyone gasped in shock as she faced Ichika. "However, meeting with you assures me of a light of hope that will shine for this world and countless others. " She cheered up a bit. "Heh. I wonder if I will enjoy this new world? Until we meet again in the Digilab!" Our heroes were still in awe as she vanished back into the Digilab.

"What was that all about?" Cecilia asked in confusion. "What could she mean about other worlds? There's no such thing as that, right?"

"I don't know about that, Cecilia…" Houki answered her as she pondered about what Mirei said. "From what she's been telling us, I don't think she was lying." Everyone turned to her.

"What do you mean by that, Houki?" Char asked in concern.

"Think about it, don't our ISes look like something from a sci-fi movie?" Houki asked back as she began explaining on her theory. "And when we encountered Ichika again back at the hospital yesterday, didn't he bring us into cyberspace and introduced us to Agumon who, according to Dorumon, can't exist here in the real world?" Her friends all realized she was right while Ichika, Satoru and Twoearle all nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, you're right. Our ISes are something ripped out of the pages of science fiction." Tatenashi agrees as she scratched her chin in thought. "And when Ichika brought us into the computer and introduced Agumon to us, that only proves her statement about other worlds. But what could she mean about Ichika's body before she stopped herself?" Everyone thought for a moment before Satoru changed the subject.

"Hey, let's not think about that right now." Satoru stated. "We can worry about it later until we meet with her next time. Right now, let's get on with the tour!" Everyone cheered up and nodded in agreement as they started on the tour of Nakano Broadway.

* * *

The tour starts on the first floor of Nakano where there was the Kurumi Detective Agency, Mirei's Consultant Room, two restaurants, vending machines, the main entrance and a fragrance store on the back section of the first floor. Satoru introduced all the people to his new friends and the people welcomed Ichika and his friends with open arms.

After touring the first floor, our heroes got on the elevator for the second floor to continue with the tour. The second floor had a CD store, another restaurant, a card shop and a figurine store. Like on the first floor, Satoru introduced the people to his new friends and all welcomed them with open arms.

Once the second was finished, they got back on the elevator and headed for the third floor. Upon reaching the third floor, it had a lot more to offer as there was a book store, two food vendors, a cage and some clothes store, They even met an employee at the book store who was also new to her job much like Ichika and the IS girls. Like with the last two floors, Satoru introduced everyone to his new friends and they all welcomed them with open arms.

Once arriving on the fourth floor, that's where they found the arcade and the K-Cafe where they needed to buy coffee beans for Kyoko. After seeing the arcade, our heroes made their way to K-Cafe to buy the coffee beans for Kyoko.

"This is it, K-Cafe. Our final stop." Satoru smiled. "This is where Kyoko-nee wanted us to go as part of your field test as Cyber Sleuths. Let's head inside and get the beans for her." Everyone nodded in agreement as they entered the cafe and find a young man and woman by the counter.

The man at the counter waved at them. "Welcome!"

"Welcome, please come in! Take any open seat!" The woman greeted before noticing Satoru and Twoearle. *Oh, it's you two again. Satoru-kun and Twoearle-chan! Welcome back!"

"Hey, Mr. Miyuki! Sachi-chan!" Satoru greeted back.

"Well, aren't you two a sight for sore-eyes." Mr. Miyuki smiled as he placed his hand on chin. "We haven't seen you two since last week. Of course, that was your birthday during that time. So what's been going on with you two?" He and Sachi noticed Ichika and the others behind them. "Who are they? New friends of yours?"

"Yeah, we just met them yesterday." Twoearle answered him with a smile and nod. "Although, how we met them could've been on better terms, but what can you do?" Everyone chuckled a little. "Anyway, they're new assistants Kyoko hired just yesterday as well." Ichika and the IS girls all nodded in agreement.

"All of you are Ms. Kuremi's assistants? She hired some assistants?" Mr. Miyuki asked in awe "Wow. So you guys get to bask in her radiant beauty to your heart's content whenever you want, huh?"

"Wait, what?" The eight IS pilots all asked with white dotted eyes while a record scratch occurred.

"I'm so jealous! It's outrageous! Truly outrageous!" Mr. Miyuki fumed. "I can't believe she has all of you bathing in her beauty for days on end while I see her whenever she feels like it!" Everyone sweat dropped as his sudden outburst.

"Okay… what's his deal?" Ling asked as she took a step back in disgust. "Does he like have a crush on your cousin or something, Satoru?"

"Unfortunately, he does…" Satoru answered with a sigh as he rubbed his temples. "He's been eyeing her ever since she came here the first time. He even said the same thing he just said to you guys when I first came here on an errand for Kyoko-nee. He even asked me if I was her boyfriend or something like that." That made everyone jump in surprise.

"You're kidding, right?" Tatenashi asked while showing the white dotted eyes. "He wanted to know if you were Kyoko's boyfriend when you are clearly related to her?" Satoru nodded "Jeez, talk about being a hopeless loser and taking it to the next level." Everyone nodded in agreement as Sachi turned to her employer.

"Boss?" Sachi asked with a sad glare.

"Yes? What is it?" Mr. Miyuki asked back.

"You don't look at me like that, do you?" Sachi asked while lowering her head.

"What?" Mr. Miyuki asked in confusion.

"Oh, you creep! You total perv! I quit! Right here and now!" Sachi yelled in anger as an anger vein appeared on her forehead.

"Whoa, that came out of nowhere!" Ling gawked. "She just came out yelling at his face in a split second!"

"Kinda reminds me of how you girls all did the same thing when we met Mirei not too long ago." Twoealre said with a dull tone and that made the IS girls flinched.

"Huh? What happened?" Ichika asked in confusion. "Did something happen while I was inside Mirei's shop?"

"Oh yeah, you wouldn't believed what happened before, Ichika." Satoru answered with a sigh while rubbing his temples again. "When Mire dragged you into her shop to get outfitted in your glove, Houki and the others all thought you were cheating on them or something like that. They even wanted to beat you up the moment you stepped back outside her shop." Ichika looked at his friends as they all sweated bullets.

"Is this true" Ichika asked in concern. "All of you thought I was cheating on you?"

"Well… It's just that… We thought…" Houki stuttered as she bowed her head in apology. "We're sorry, Ichika. When we heard Mire said you two were bound by fate, I guess we kinda lost it again. But when Satoru told us not to jump to conclusion, he made the right choice as we later found out Mirei was giving you that glove." She pointed to Ichika's right hand. "We're sorry for thinking you were cheating on us." Her friends all nodded in agreement.

"Hey, don't feel bad, ladies. I forgive you." Ichika smiled as it made the IS girls blush. "I would never cheat on all of you, you're all too important to me. Just know that won't ever happen for as long as I live." The IS girls all nodded in agreement as Satoru and Twoealre smiled before turning their attention back to Mr. Miyuki and Sachi.

"What? What?!" Mr. Miyuki gasped in surprise.

"And I'm taking full payment of this month's salary." Sachi warned. "Plus I'll be billing you for 20 months of leering. You're paying me psychological damages!"

"Ouch, 20 months of leering…" Laura winced. "That's going to hurt his wallet." Her friends all nodded in agreement.

"Uhh, excuse me." Ichika called out to them. "I don't mean to interrupt, but we came here for some coffee beans."

"Oh, our customers!" Sachi gasped as she sweat dropped. "You all wanted coffee beans, right?" Everyone nodded as she takes some out of her basket. "These are the coffee beans Ms. Kyoko's always buys. Here you go!" She hands the coffee beans to Ichika.

"Thank you, we'll be sure to give her your regards." Ichika smiled before turning to his friends. "All right, guys! We got the coffee beans for her! Now let's head back and give these to her!" Everyone nodded in agreement as Mr. Miyuki starts pleading.

"Hang on, Sacchan! Quitting out of the blue like that kinda puts me in a bind!" Mr. Miyuki wailed as he got into a begging position.

"Does it now? Well, then, shall we negotiate, boss?" Sachi asked with an evil grin.

"Oh my, she's brutal…" Char stuttered. as her friends all nodded in agreement.

"Negotiate? F-For what?" Mr. Miyuki asked, getting a bad feeling about this.

"For what? Why, for my hourly rate, of course!" Sachi answered him with an angry yell. "If you're going to play stupid, I'll sue! We're talking about harassment lawsuit here!"

"Yikes!" Mr. Miyuki gasped.

"Wow, they sure are quite the pair." Kanzashi said in astonishment. "If they were married, she'd be the real master of the house." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Well, be that as it may… We got the beans Kyoko asked for." Ichika said with a nervous smile. "Let's head back to the office and give these to her." Everyone nodded in agreement as they walked out the door.

"Thank you very much! Come back any time!" Sachi called out to them.

"We will!" Everyone call back as they exited the cafe.

* * *

After leaving the K-Cafe and getting the coffee beans, our heroes made their way back to the agency to give Kyoko the coffee beans. While on their way back, Ichika runs into a familiar face standing in the halls all by herself.

"Huh?" Nokia looked towards Ichika.

"Nokia, is that you?" Ichika asked in surprise.

"Oh, hey! You're safe! Phew!" Nokia breathe a sigh of relief "Well, I assumed so. After what happened in the digital world, you should be fine in the real world."

"Yeah, it was mostly thanks to Arata's quick thinking back there." Ichika agrees with a smile. "If he haven't hacked into the old terminal back there, I don't know what could've happened to us." In reality, he was lying to make sure she doesn't know what really happened to him.

"Then I'm glad to hear that, Ichika." Nokia smiled in relief before showing her worry face. "But are those little critters okay, I wonder?"

"Uhh…who are you talking about, Nokia?" Ichika asked confusedly.

"No way! You don't remember?! You insensitive clod! The Digimon that protected me!" Nokia yelled as she whacked Ichika on the head. "I'm a little worried… Had they not been around, it would have been…" She calms down for a bit. "Well… I've got this problem, and I've had it since I was a kid." Everyone started to listen to her. "When things get serious, I always get frighten. It's like my mind goes black, and I freeze up. That must have sucked for you. I'm really sorry." She then feels Ichika placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, you don't have to apologize, Nokia." Ichika smiled as he reassured her. "That whole incident caught all of us by surprise and there was nothing we could do about it. But just knowing you're still safe and back in the real world, that puts me at ease. They wanted to make sure you escaped and I'm sure you'll see them again.

"Ichika…" Nokia whispered before smiling. "Yeah, you're right. I shouldn't be feeling down. They helped me escape and I should be thanking them if I see them again. That's for cheering me up, Ichika. You're the best." Ichika smiled that caused her to blush. "Well, do you want to go shopping now? I found a lot of cute stores here and I really want to check them out."

"Sorry, can't right now, Nokia." Ichika said while closing his eyes and smiling. "I'm a cyber sleuth now and my friends and myself are doing an errand for someone right now." His friends all nodded in agreement.

"Wow, you're a cyber sleuth now? That's great!" Nokia beamed before she has an question mark above her head about the cyber sleuth part. "A cyber sleuth? Really? A cyber sleuth… What is that, exactly? What's a cyber sleuth?" That caused everyone to anime faint on the floor. "No skin off my nose! I don't know if it's good or bad. I totally gave up figuring it out." Everyone stands back up. "It's probably better than being a hacker!" She then realized something else. "That said, I'm a hacker! Arata! He was a hacker! He helped me out, but he was a total hacker!" She lowered her head. "That's a little depressing, knowing I've been lied to this whole time. I haven't seen him since. Ugh! This is the pits. Times like these I want to throw on the new Jimiken single. Get my freak on." She quietly left while the IS girls sweat dropped.

"Wow, she sure is…eccentric." Houki muttered. "She sure knows how to flip between different ways of emotions and expresses them in her own unique way." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Anyway, let's head back to the office and give these coffee beans to Kyoko. We don't want to keep her waiting." Everyone nodded in agreement as hey got on the elevator and rode it down back to the first floor.

* * *

Upon arriving back on the first floor, Ichika and the gang made their way back to the office and entered the door to see Kyoko sitting at her desk and reading a book to pass the time. She looks up to see her assistants returning and smiled.

"Hey, Kyoko! We're back!" Twoealre greeted.

"It seems you've all made your rounds." Kyoko smiled as she puts the book down on her desk. "I take it you're all familiar with the people here Nakano, yet?"

"Yeah, we've managed to meet with everyone around Nakano." Ichika answered her with a smile. "A lot of them were kinda off the wall, but they all seem like nice people. Everyone here sure is lively."

"Indeed. They're quite a bunch of characters, but that's what it takes to live in Nakano." Kyoko agrees with a grin. "Everyone here has their own flare to their personality, but that's what makes Nakano so lively. So I take it you've got the coffee beans for me?"

"Yep, got them right here, Kyoko." Ling answered her as she gave the coffee beans to Kyoko. "We had to watch one of your fans have a lovers quarrel with his own employee before we got back." Everyone chuckled at her joke.

"Oh, you mean Kazuma Miyuki." Kyoko smiled playfully. "He's always been an odd one, but he's relatively harmless." She turns to Ichika. "Anyway, thank you for bringing the coffee beans. Ichika, why don't you close this case and we'll move on from there?" She hands him a stamp. "Use this on requests you've completed on the whiteboard and that should be it." Ichika nodded as he walks over to the whiteboard and stamps the request.

"Case close." Ichika smiled as everyone smiled as well until Houki hears something.

"Help me…" A voice calls out.

"Huh?" Houki looks around around her and her friends took notice. "Who said that?"

"Who said what Houki?" Kanzashi asked her confusedly "Are you feeling alright?"

"Did you guys here something? Like a voice calling out for help?" Houki asked everyone.

"What voice? I don't hear anything." Laura said as she looked at Houki oddly.

"Ditto with me." Ling agrees "Are you sure you're not just hearing things Houki?"

"Guys, I know I heard a voice calling out to me." Houki reasoned. "It sounded like someone was in trouble and I've got to go help him. You guys believe me, right?" Before anyone could answer, Ichika and Satoru's Digivices starts ringing and they answered.

"Agumon, what's wrong? Is there some kind of trouble?" Ichika asked in concern.

"Yeah, there's big trouble, Boss." Agumon answered him. "Me and Dorumon just sensed another Digimon nearby in Kowloon. He seems to be in trouble by some aggressive Digimon roaming around!"

"Is that true, Dorumon?" Satoru asked, frowning seriously.

"Yes, it is true, Satoru." Dorumon answered him. "We've just picked up his scent the moment we've returned to the office. I have a feeling this Digimon might be in danger of being deleted if we don't save him."

"Looks like you were right after all, Houki." Satoru turned to Houki. "There was someone calling out to you. Sorry for not believing you before."

"It's alright, I wouldn't believe it myself if I didn't hear it." Houki smiled before frowning seriously "But hearing that Digimon calling out to me for help, now I know that I have to go. I have to save that Digimon before anything bad happens to him!"

"Then we know what we need to do." Kyoko frowned as she got ready to give Ichika and his friends the next case. "Ichika, you and Houki head for Kowloon and find that Digimon. Make sure that Digimon is out of harm's way before something bad happens or even worse. I trust you've gotten the hang of your Connect Jump ability?"

"Yeah, I've gotten the hang of it now." Ichika answered her with a nod. "I can use the TV like last time and enter Kowloon from there. We'll save that Digimon before anyone or anything can get their hands on him!"

"Excellent, then I'm counting on you, Ichika." Kyoko smiled. "You'll be handling anything dangerous down there, so keep your guard up. There's no telling what kind of Digimon you'll run into." Ichika and Houki nodded as he turns to her cousin. "Satoru, I trust you computer's up and running?"

"Ready and waiting, Kyoko-nee." Satoru answered her with a nod. "It's all charged up and ready to go."

"Perfect, then you'll be monitoring everything from here while Ichika and Houki are in Kowloon." Kyoko nodded in response. "I'm counting on you to be their eyes in the sky." Satoru gave a thumps up as she turns to Twoearle. "Twoearle, how are the communicators coming along for Houki and her friends?"

"I'm afraid they're not finished yet, Kyoko." Twoearle answered her while shaking her head no. "I still need to work on them and make sure there aren't any bugs in them. So it may take me some time until they get back from Kowloon."

"Then we'll just have to work with what we have for now." Kyoko nods in understanding. "Until Twoearle can finish with the communicators, we'll have to rely on Ichika's for now." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Ok, now that everyone knows what to do. It's time we get this mission started. Cyber Sleuths, assemble!"

"Yes Ma'am!" Everyone shouted in unison as Ichika and Houki stood in front of the TV while everyone else surrounded Satoru.

"Okay, here we go, Houki." Ichika told her. "Time for us to save a Digimon and who knows, he might become your partner. So you ready?" Houki nodded "Okay, then take my hand. We'll be heading for Kowloon now." Houki nodded as she took his hand into her while he activates his Connect Jump and enters the TV as Satoru turns on his laptop and activates his communicator.

* * *

Ichika and Houki appeared in the cyberspace tunnel. Houki looked around her surroundings and smiled a little. "No matter how you look at it, cyberspace is amazing when you get inside it."

"Yeah, I agree." Ichika nodded as he took Houki's hand. "But let's not waste any time. We need to save that Digimon." Houki nodded in agreement as they fly through the cyber tunnel.

While flying through the cyber tunnel, Houki decided to ask Ichika about Nokia. "Say Ichika?" Ichika turned to her while flying through the cyber tunnel. "Who was that girl we met while getting Kyoko's coffee beans? She knows you for some reason." Houki then glared at him. "Was she another girl who's in love with you?"

"W-What?! No! She's one of my pals from the chatroom I told you about before I got into this state." Ichika reasoned with her.

"It's true. Me and Boss met her while we tried to fight that… thing that got Boss into this mess." Agumon agreed with his master.

"Besides, remember what happened with Mirei-san?" Ichika added while Houki blushed in embarrassment and shame. "If it weren't for Satoru and Twoearle, you and the others would have beaten me up when she and I were finished with outfitting me with my new glove."

"Y-Yeah… I agree. Again, I apologized for jumping to conclusions again…" Houki stuttered.

"Its okay, Houki." Ichika smiled warmly at her. "I know you and the others were watching out for me." When he said that, it made Houki smiled that Ichika said those words of wisdom. Then Ichika said something else "But there's something about Nokia that seemed familiar to me…"

"Huh? What do you mean, Ichika?" Houki asked him while blinking.

"I don't know, but I feel like I known Nokia like when we were children… I feel like I known Nokia for some time now. And don't worry, it isn't a relationship type of thing. …It was like we known each other since childhood. Ugh!" Ichika stopped and held his head in pain.

"Ichika!" Houki gasped in shock.

"Boss!" Agumon also gasped as he and Houki checked on him.

"You alright?" Houki asked Ichika in concern.

"Y-Yeah… It was nothing but a headache. But I hope it goes away soon. I am not sure why it happened." Ichika rubbed his head to ease the pain.

"Phew. Don't scare us like that." Houki sighed in relief. "But it looks like we're getting close to the end of the tunnel," She was right as the three friends noticed the light at the end of the tunnel.

"Okay, sounds good." Ichika nodded in response as he and his two friends exited the cyber tunnel.

* * *

As soon as they exited the tunnel, Ichika, Agumon and Houki found themselves in Kwoloon. Houki looked around, she is feeling uneasy about this place. "So this is where you met your online friends and Agumon, right Ichika?" Ichika nodded in response to her question. Houki frowned seriously as she looked at the place for hackers. "The news weren't kidding when they say it is a haven for hackers, even in EDEN."

"Yeah. And that's where I ended up with my half-digital body and it got my real body inflicted with EDEN Syndrome." Ichika nodded as he frowned seriously as well. "I'm positive that thing did this to me and I need to know more about EDEN Syndrome and how to find a cure for it to save not only my real body, but also the victims of EDEN Syndrome. I also want to know why Kamishiro Enterprises is keeping a secret about this."

"Well, don't worry about it too much, Ichika." Houki placed her hand on Ichika's shoulder with a reassured smile. "We'll make Kamishiro Enterprises pay for this and for keeping it a secret from the public, that I can promise you."

"She's right, Boss. We'll beat the data out of those Kamishiro jerks soon enough!" Agumon agreed before he brought up another subject. "Say, Houki." Ichika and Houki paid attention to the Digimon. "How long have you known Boss?" Houki blushed madly.

"W-Well… Ichika and I were childhood friends for a long time until my stupid sister made those freaking ISes…" Houki tighten her fists in anger, making Ichika and Agumon sweat dropped.

"Wait, your sister made those ISes things? But what the heck does IS stand for?" Agumon scratched his head in confusion.

"IS stands for Infinite Stratos, so we called them ISes for short. Six years ago, Houki's big sister, Tabane made the IS and they made women in charge of the world until EDEN came along and restore men's seat of power, but don't worry, thanks to EDEN, women were given the opportunity to govern alongside men, restoring the way the world was govern back in the 20th century." Ichika then sighed. "But thanks to EDEN, the IS is slowly losing popularity since people are more attached to EDEN due to its ability to physically enter the internet."

"And I'm glad the ISes are losing their popularity. Maybe EDEN will give Tabane a taste of her own medicine when her inventions lose fame. And maybe this will teach her a lesson about destroying my chances at wining that damn kendo tournament. If it weren't for her stupid inventions, I would have won the kendo tournament…" Houki tighten her fists in anger some more.

"Houki…" Agumon began as he began to sooth Houki's anger. "Don't you think you're being a bit too hard on your big sister?" Houki was silent as she loosen her fists and looked at Ichika's Digimon partner with concerning eyes. "Maybe your sister was trying to make the world a better place, I'm sure she didn't mean to ruin your chance at winning that kendo tournament or whatever it's called." Houki remained silent as she closed her eyes and a tear fell out of her eye.

"Agumon's right, Houki. You can't stay mad at your sister forever. But let's leave that subject for another time. Right now, we need to find that Digimon who needs our help!" Houki and Agumon nodded in agreement as they begin their trek through Kwoloon.

* * *

Not long after entering Kowloon from the cyberspace tunnel, Ichika, Agumon and Houki continued looking around to find the Digimon that was calling for her. After walking for a few minutes, there was still no sign of the Digimon.

"We've been walking for almost an hour and there's still nothing in sight." Houki sighed. "I don't know if we're going to find the Digimon around here. Maybe it was just my imagination." She felt Ichika placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't give up hope just yet, we'll find him." Ichika smiled as he reassured her. "We just have to keep our eyes open until we find him. We'll save him, I know we can."

"Boss' right, Houki. I'm sure we'll find him." Agumon agrees with a nod. "We just need to keep looking for him and we'll run into him sooner or later. I'm not letting any Digimon being pushed around by anyone."

"Ichika... Agumon..."Houki smiled softly. "Yeah, you're both right. We can't let him being pushed around by some hacker, he needs someone who can be his friend. We have to find him before some idiot does anything bad to him." Ichika and Agumon both nodded in agreement as he touched his communicator.

"Satoru, how are things on your end?" Ichika asked him. "We still haven't located the Digimon yet, so I was wondering if you found him yet."

"Hang on, let me do an area search." Satoru said as he typed away until his computer displayed a map. "Okay, I'm picking up three signatures not too far from your location. But it seems that two of them are chasing the third one. If that's the case, then that must be the Digimon who's calling out to Houki."

"We'll be heading over there now." Ichika nods in agreement. "If there's anyone chasing him, we'll be right there to save him. We'll let you know when the dust settles." He ends the call and turns to his partner and childhood friend. "He's not too far from us, but he's being chased by two others. We'll have to pick up the pace if we're going to save him from those bullies." Agumon and Houki nodded in agreement as they raced over to find the Digimon.

* * *

Upon entering the next area of Kowloon, there was a small mammal Digimon running right towards them before jumping right into Houki's arms and knocking her off her feet.

"Houki!" Ichika and Agumon shouted as rushed over to see if she was alright.

"Houki, are you okay?" Ichika asked as he bends down towards Houki. "What knocked you down?"

Houki sits up and shakes her head. "Ugh...yeah, I'm okay. I felt like something really fast just knocked me down." She looks down in her arms to see a small Digimon quivering in fear. "Hey, are you okay? Who was chasing you?" She got her answer as two massive Digimon resembling insects came flying in and landed near them.

"There you are, Elecmon. We've been looking all over for you." The praying mantis Digimon sneered cruelly. "You've got a lot of nerve trying to stop us from causing trouble here, but now there's nowhere to run." He then noticed our heroes with Elecmon. "Huh, who are you three? Intruders trying to stop us?"

"We could say the same for you two!" Ichika shouted as he got into a fighter's stance. "What gives you bullies the right to attack him like that? Why don't you two pick on someone your own size?!" He turned to his partner. "You ready, Agumon?"

"Ready when you are, Boss! It's fighting time!" Agumon agrees as he stands before the two insect Digimon and goes into battle stance. Then he glowed and he shouted out "Agumon… Digivolve to! GeoGreymon!" With that said, Agumon digivolved into GeoGreymon again.

"How cute, a Vaccine type Champion Digimon is gonna challenge us? You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into, runt! I'm Snimon and this is Kuwagamon! Twin Sickles!" Snimon yelled as he launched energy sickles at GeoGreymon, he blocked them, but was damaged slightly.

"Mega Flame!" GeoGreymon yelled as he breath out fire onto the two insect Digimon, giving them medium damage. Kuwagamon roared as he charged into GeoGreymon and rammed into him, giving him medium damage.

"Heh! You're acting so tough because you're a Champion? Twin Sickle!" Snimon sneered as he launched his energy sickles at GeoGreymon, hitting him for medium damage.

"I won't lose to jerks like you!" GeoGreymon yelled as he rammed into Kuwagamon, giving him medium damage, but he's having some trouble taking on two Digimon by himself.

"Heh, you're outnumbered, kid! Twin Sickles!" Snimon yelled as he launched his energy sickles at GeoGreymon, he was hit by them, but he stood strong as he lashed his tail at Snimon. Kuwagamon hit GeoGreymon for big damage, but GeoGreymon hit him with his tail to return the damage.

"Man, this looks bad…" Ichika gulped as the two insect Digimon double teamed on GeoGreymon, giving him medium damage again.

"W-Why are you helping me from those two insect Digimon?" Elecmon gasped in awe. Houki looked at Elecmon with a soft smile.

"Isn't it obvious? Because it's the right thing to do. We can't let these jerks do bad things to you. GeoGreymon is doing everything her can to help us out. And he's doing the right thing by helping others."

"Helping… others…" Elecmon whispered. Suddenly, Houki's Digivice which was a phone beeped. Confused, Houki checked her phone and it stated that Digimon Capture has been installed.

"W-What the hell?" Houki gawked. "I don't remember installing this into my Digivice…? Wait, is this the same app that Ichika got?" Elecmon then leaped out of Houki's arms and got into a battle stance. "E-Elecmon?! What are you doing?!"

"Let me fight! You said your friend is fighting for what's right and you guys are helping me! I want to return the favor! So please, let me be your partner!" Elecmon yelled bravely.

"Elecmon…" Houki whispered before she smiled and held out her Digivice and had Elecmon registered as her partner. Suddenly, Elecmon started to glow red.

"Elecmon… Digivolve to!" Elecmon started to grow until the growing stopped and revealed him into a new form. Elecmon is now a muscular lion-man with orange fur, yellow mane, yellow fur on its legs and the tip of its tail, blue eyes, black nose and mouth, five fingers on its hands and feet, black claws, black ear tips, and scars on its arms, left foot, and the left side of its face. Its ears are on top of its head. It wears a golden earring on its left ear, a collar with with a blue gem in the middle and multiple red teeth around it, black pants with yellow cords forming multiple "X" on its side, a black belt with a square metallic buckle on its waist, three others on its left arm, another in its left hand, and another in the pantleg. It carries its sword in the back on its belt. "Leomon!" Leomon roared as he got ready.

 **(Run Around from Digimon plays)**

"W-What the?! Elecmon digivolved?!" Snimon gawked before he regain his composure and yelled out "Twin Sickle!" He lashed his energy sickles at Leomon, but he leaped out of the way. Leomon unsheathed his sword and charged towards Kuwagamon who tried to grab him with his pincers, but Leomon swiftly evaded them with ease. Leomon slashed Kuwagamon three times with his sword.

"Thanks, Leomon!" GeoGreymon said in gratitude as he yelled out "Mega Burst!" He launched his flaming attack at Kuwagamon who roared in agony as he was deleted after the attack hit him.

"W-Why you!" Snimon growled in anger as he lashed his sickles at Leomon, but like with Kuwagamon, he swiftly evaded them.

"Now it's time, we finished this, Snimon! Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon throws his fist as he shoots out an orange lion's head which hit Snimon for bigger damage. Leomon turned to GeoGreymon. "Now!"

"Right away! Mega Flame!" GeoGreymon yelled as he launched his flaming attack on Snimon, ending the fight. Snimon screamed in agony as he was deleted. GeoGreymon and Leomon returned back to their Rookie forms.

* * *

After both Snimon and Kuwagamon were deleted, both Agumon and Elecmon returned to their Rookie forms while their human partners ran over to them. Ichika hugs Agumon while Elecom jumped back into Houki's arms.

"Agumon, you're okay!" Ichika smiled in relief. "I was worried that Snimon and Kuwagamon might've won that time when they double teamed you."

"Yeah, I thought I was a goner too." Agumon agreed "But it was thanks to Elecmon and his determination to help us is what helped him to digivolve. If it wasn't for him and Houki, we might've lost." Ichika nodded in agreement as they watched Houki and Elecmon celebrating.

"Elecmon, you were amazing out there!" Houki smiled as she snuggled Elecmon. "I didn't think you could digivolve like that! I'm so glad you weren't hurt!"

"Well, I couldn't have done it without your help, Houki." Elecmon smiled "It's because you and your friends protected me from Snimon and Kuwagamon. You helped me despite not knowing me and I wanted to return the favor to you guys."

"And we're glad to have helped you, Elecmon." Ichika smiled as he placed his hand on his hip. "I hope you'll be able to help us again when we need you." Elecmon nodded in agreement "Now that we're done here, let's head back to the others. I'm sure they'll want to meet him as well." He turns to Houki. "Houki, put Elecmon into your Digivice. He'll be safe in there until we find a way for him, Agumon and Dorumon to exist in the real world." Houki nodded as she takes out her Digivice and digitized Elecmon and headed back to the real world.

* * *

Upon returning to the real world, Ichika and Houki reappeared in front of Kyoko's desk where everyone was waiting for their safe return from Kowloon.

"Welcome back, you two." Kyoko greeted them. "We're glad to see you're both back safe and sound. I trust you were able to save the Digimon in time?"

"Yeah, we were able to save him from Snimon and Kuwagamon." Ichika answered with a smile. "Agumon tried to fight them himself, but they were too strong together. It was thanks to Elecmon wanting to be Houki's partner and even the odds for us." Houki nodded in agreement.

"Glad to know you were able to save him." Kyoko smiled in approval. "I suppose that means we now have three Digimon in our group now, does it?" Everyone nodded in agreement "Now that just leaves the rest of you to find your Digimon partners."

"But how are we going to find them?" Cecilia asked in concern. "We don't even know where to start looking for them."

"I'm sure they'll find you like how Elecmon found Houki." Kyoko reassured her. "All you have to do is wait until one of them call out to you. But for now, why don't all of you take a break? We'll let you know when something comes up." Everyone nodded as they exited the office to have some fun.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next chapter: IS Girls and Digimon Partners: Part 2 of 7: Cecilia and Renamon.**

 **A/n: Sorry for the long wait, everyone. Panther J is currently at Puerto Rico where he will celebrate the wedding of his aunt and uncle, so congratulations to Panther J's aunt and uncle for their wedding. Next up is Cecilia's time to shine when she gains Renamon as her partner. Also, after this seven part mini-arc, the anime filler chapters which takes place after this arc and will take about 3 chapters before a main case will appear and Hyperdimension Neptunia will be the first anime to appear. So expect the fourth chapter to be up soon. Until then!**


	4. IS Girls and Digimon Partners 2 of 7

**A/n: Well, time for another chapter. This chapter features Cecilia getting Renamon as a partner. So here is Chapter 4.**

 **Chapter 4: IS Girls and Digimon Partners: Part 2 of 7: Cecilia and Renamon**

* * *

Not long after saving Elecmon from Snimon and Kuwagamon, Kyoko gave our heroes a break to rest up until their next case. Taking the opportunity, Ichika and his friends all scattered around Nakano to check out the shops and restaurants.

* * *

On the second floor with Houki, Ling and Cecilia, they were having some Tamayaki while hanging out with each other until they hear their next case from Kyoko.

"Man, I can't believe you were able to have your own Digimon partner, Houki." Ling smiled as she congratulated Houki with the pat on the back. "You're so lucky to have one of your own. I wonder if the rest of us will have our own Digimon partners like you, Ichika and Satoru."

"I'm sure you'll find one for each of you soon enough, Ling." Houki smiled as she reassured her friend. "We'll just have to wait and see what happens next. Much like how Elecmon called out to me, the same thing might happen to you and everyone as well."

"Perhaps you're right, Houki. Elecmon called on you, so it might happen to us sooner or later." Cecilia agrees with her. "I'm convinced we'll have our own Digimon partners in no time." Both her friends nodded in agreement as Cecilia brought something else up. "Speaking of which, has either of you noticed that Ichika and Char have been getting closer to each other?"

"Now that you mentioned it, they seem to be getting closer to each other." Ling agrees as she scratched her chin in thought. "Something tells me we might be seeing them end up together in the future." Her friends nodded in agreement as they continued eating Tamayaki.

* * *

On the third floor with Char, Twoearle, Laura and the Sarashiki sisters, they were looking through the bookstore where they met the employee before.

"Wow, this bookstore is amazing." Char gasped as she sees a bookcase filled with romance manga and another bookcase with fantasy novels. "I had no idea there was a store that sells this many books in a place like Nakano."

"And not to mention at a pretty good price." Tatenashi agrees with a grin. "Most of the other bookstores we've been to sold books that are expensive and could easily break the bank. From now on, I'm buying books from this store." Her sister and friends all nodded in agreement.

"Glad to know you guys like it here so far." Twoearle smiled in approval. "Nakano has a lot of stuff here that you're all going to like. I'm sure you'll find something here that you like." Her friends all nodded in agreement as Twoearle said something else. "By the way, there's something I've been meaning to ask you guys. Do either of you have feelings for Ichika?" That made Char, Laura and the Sarashiki sisters all blush madly.

"W-Well, I'm not too sure about that." Kanzashi answered with a embarrassed smile as she pressed her thumbs nervously. "We all have feelings for him, but he hasn't made a decision on which us he likes more. But from what we're seeing, he might have feelings for Char." Her friends and sister all looked towards Char who looked away shyly.

"Is that true, Char?" Twoearle asked her with interest. "Do you have feelings for Ichika?"

"Y-Yes, I do, but I haven't told him yet." Char answered as she blushed some more. "I'm not sure if he has feelings for me." She feels Laura placed her hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure he might have feelings for you as well, Char." Laura said with a small smile. "So even if he might choose you over us, we won't hold it against you." The Sarashiki sisters both nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, Laura. Tatenashi and Kanzashi." Char smiled as she hugged Laura. "But even if he doesn't choose me and might choose one of you, I'll be happy for his choice." Her friends all nodded in agreement as they continued to look through the books.

* * *

On the fourth floor with Ichika and Satoru, the boys were hanging out at the arcade and playing some games. As they were reaching the end of their game, Satoru made his final attack and won the game.

"Yeah! I won! Sorry, Ichika. But now you owe me some ice cream later." Satoru grinned.

"Oh, man! I almost had you that time." Ichika moaned. "I had an opening on you, but you got the jump on me. How did you manage to defeat me first?"

"What can I say, I have faster reflexes." Satoru answered with a smirk. "And you left yourself open when you tried to attack me. So I took the opportunity to counterattack and win the game."

"Man, you really got me. Nice work, Satoru." Ichika said, smiling. "I gotta say, it's nice to be around another guy once in a while. I've been around Houki and the others for so long, I kinda forgot what it felt like."

"Speaking of which, which of them you have feelings for, Ichika?" Satoru asked him. "I've been wondering if you like one of them." That made Ichika blush madly.

"W-Well, I've been having feelings for Char for a while now, but I never told them yet." Ichika answered with a stutter. "I'm just worried that I might hurt the others' feelings if I told them about my real feelings for Char. I'm not even sure what I'm going to do." He feels Satoru's hand on his shoulder.

"Then I can help you with that." Satoru said, smiling softly. "I'm sure you'll make the right choice soon enough, I just know it."

"Yeah, you're right, Satoru." Ichika agrees smiling as well. "I don't know what the future holds, but I'm sure I'll make the right choice one day. Hey, you up for another round?" Satoru nodded as they began another round on the game.

* * *

Hours later, our heroes all returned to the office where Kyoko was sitting at her desk while reading a book. She looks up to see everyone had returned and smiled.

"Welcome back, everyone." Kyoko greeted as she puts the book down on her desk. "I trust that everyone has enjoyed their time here in Nakano?" Everyone nodded in response and she smiled. "Glad to hear it, I'm sure you'll be able to use Nakano whenever you can."

"We really appreciate your kindness, Kyoko." Ichika smiled in gratitude. "Everyone here was kind to us and I owe a lot to you, Satoru and Twoearle for helping me find what happened to me and my body." His friends all nodded in agreement.

"Don't thank me just yet, we're not out of the woods, Ichika." Kyoko told him. "There's still more pieces of the puzzle missing and we need to be careful where we're heading. Unless we find out more about the EDEN Syndrome and Kamishiro's true ambitions, we'll need to be cautious from here on out."

"Yeah, you're right, Kyoko." Houki agrees as she crossed her arms and pondered about this. "There are still some things we don't know about with Kamishiro's real plans with all those patients with EDEN Syndrome. Until we find out what really happened to them and return Ichika to his body, we'll just have to wait and see what their next move is." Everyone nodded in agreement as Kyoko looked at her watch.

"Well, we'll have to wait until tomorrow for something to happen." Kyoko told them. "It's almost about time for Nakano to close for the night. Why don't all of you head for home and rest up? You'll all be needing it for your next case." Everyone nodded as they all headed back for home while Satoru and Twoearle stayed with her.

"Well, I guess that means we'll be heading back ourselves, Satoru-kun." Twoearle smiled softly. "Let's head back home and get some dinner ready." Satoru nodded in agreement as they turned to Kyoko.

"You two go on ahead, I'll be working late again." Kyoko said with a small smile. "There are still some paperwork I need to do and this might take some time. I'll be home later after midnight." Twoearle nodded while Satoru stayed silent and she noticed. "Satoru, I know it's been hard for us since our parents died, but we need to be strong for them. I'm sure we'll get through this case together."

"Yeah, whatever..." Satoru muttered as he and Twoearle left the office while Kyoko slumped in her chair.

"No matter what I do, I can't seem to have a conversation with him." Kyoko sighed. "I know it was hard for him when our parents died and no one even bothered to take him in, I just wish we could have a normal conversation like we used to." She stretched her arms above her before getting back to work. "Well, I'll just have to wait until he decides to speak again. Might as well start on the paperwork before anything else." She takes out her pen and starts writing.

* * *

 **Later at the IS Academy**

* * *

Cecilia returns to her room back at the academy. As she takes off her clothes, she enters the shower and washed off all of her sweat from hanging out at Nakano with her friends. After she was done in the shower, she turns off the water and wraps a towel around her to dry off. Once she was dried up, she took off her towel and puts on her nightgown.

"Whew, that was an interesting first day as a cyber sleuth." Cecilia sighed. "Not only we had both Satoru and Twoearle join us as students, but also Houki managed to acquire her own Digimon partner. I wonder if I could find one for a partner?" She shrugged her shoulders as she get into her bed. "I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow. I'm sure I'll find one sooner or later." She lays her head on the pillow and goes to sleep until she starts dreaming.

* * *

 **In Cecilia's dreams**

* * *

Cecilia opens her eyes and looks around her new environment. There was nothing but mist everywhere and there doesn't seem to have any end in sight.

"What the? Where am I?" Cecilia asked in confusion. "I thought I was in my room, but now I'm here. And where is everyone? They should be around here somewhere." As she looks around for her friends, she heard the sound of screaming somewhere near her.

"Ahhhh!" A voice screamed.

"Was that someone screaming just now?" Cecilia asked with her eyes widen. "Someone must be in trouble, I have to help!" Ahead of her, she sees two silhouettes fighting each other. One silhouette was a bipedal fox while the other was a massive horse with wings on its back.

The horse silhouette charges up an energy sphere from its mouth and fires it at the fox silhouette who barely managed to avoid it and was blown away. The fox lands at Cecilia's feet and looks up at her.

"Please...help me..." The voice said as the dream ends.

Cecilia wakes up from her dream, panting heavily and wiping off her sweat. "What was that all about? Was that some kind of dream? Or was it a call for help like how Elecmon called out to Houki?" She turns towards the window and looks at the moon shining down. "I better tell the others what I saw. If that was a call for help, then I'd better be ready for what's going to happen tomorrow." She goes back to sleep, but she still couldn't get what she saw out of her mind.

* * *

The next day, Cecilia had woken up from her sleep after experiencing her dream and was getting ready for school and meeting with her friends.

"There's no way that was dream, it felt all too real..." Cecilia whispered as she looked at her window overviewing the city. "And those two silhouettes I saw, one of them was calling for help. I wonder if that's how Houki felt when Elecmon called out to her yesterday?" She shakes her head. "I better let the others know about this." She leaves her room and headed for class to meet with her friends.

Hours later at the academy, Cecilia has met up with her friends in the cafeteria to tell them about what she saw in her dream.

"Are you serious, Cecilia?" Houki asked with wide eyes. "You actually saw two silhouettes fighting and one of them was calling out for help?"

"No doubt about it, that's exactly what I saw in my dreams last night." Cecilia answered her, nodding to her question. "I definitely saw them fighting and one of them was calling me for help. Do you think they were Digimon?"

"It's a possibility, but we can't say for sure." Satoru answered as he scratched his chin in thought. "Until school's over, let's head for Nakano and tell Kyoko-nee about this. She might know what to do." Everyone nodded in agreement as they continued with classes like normal until school has ended.

* * *

After classes have ended for the day, our heroes rode the bus back to Nakano to tell Kyoko what Cecilia had told them. Upon arriving at their destination, they made their way to the office and entered to see their boss waiting for them.

"Welcome back, everyone." Kyoko greeted as soon as they entered the agency. "I trust that everything went well at your school?" Everyone nodded as she noticed the serious expressions on their faces. "What's the matter? Is there something wrong?"

"Unfortunately, there is." Houki answered her as she began explaining. "Cecilia had a dream last night where she saw two silhouettes fighting each other. She even said that one of them was calling her for help, like when Elecmon did for me." Everyone nodded in agreement as Kyoko placed her hand on her chin.

"I see, that sounds interesting." Kyoko stated as she pondered this. "From your explanation, there's another Digimon in trouble and is calling Cecilia for help. If that's the case, then we'd better be ready for when the call comes." Everyone nodded as she turned to Twoearle. "Twoearle, have you finished the communicators for Houki and the others?"

"Yep, I'm all done with them." Twoearle answered while giving her a thumbs up. "I've managed to complete them just last night and they're ready to go." She reached into her pocket and takes out seven communicators. "Here, now we'll be able to communicate with each other with these." The IS girls nodded in agreement as they took the communicators and placed them in their ears until Ichika, Satoru and Houki's Digivices started ringing and they knew what was next.

"That must be Agumon and the others." Ichika figured. "We'd better see what they have to say." Houki and Satoru nodded in agreement as they answered their Digivices. "Agumon, what's up? Is there something wrong in Kowloon?"

"Yep, and it's worse than before." Agumon answered him. "We sensed another Digimon being attacked and we have to save them." Dorumon and Elecmon nodded in agreement.

"Right, we'll head for Kowloon now." Ichika nods in understanding. "We'll make sure the Digimon is safe from being deleted."

"Ichika, let me go with you to Kowloon." Cecilia suggested. "I have to make sure that Digimon is safe from harm."

"Okay, then let's both go." Ichika nods in agreement. "But stay behind me and Agumon, we don't want anything bad happen to you." Cecilia nodded as he turns to Kyoko. "Kyoko, we're heading for Kowloon. We need to make sure that Digimon is safe from harm."

"Okay, but be careful, you two." Kyoko nods in response. "We don't know what you'll be up against, so keep on your toes. We'll keep watch from here in the real world." Ichika and Cecilia nodded as they entered the TV and headed for Kowloon.

* * *

After a few minutes, Ichika, Cecilia and Agumon appeared in Kowloon. Cecilia looked around and gasped in awe and surprise. "So this is the place where you met Agumon and ended up in your half-digital body, Ichika?"

Ichika nodded. "Yep. It's also where I met my online friends and those two Digimon who tried to help us fight that thing that got me into that state. I wonder if they're okay. Now I know how Nokia feels about people who helped her." Ichika scratched his head in worry.

"Don't worry, Boss! I'm sure that other Agumon and Gabumon are safe! I can sense that they're still okay, but are in hiding from that thing." Agumon reassured his master.

"Yeah, you're right, Agumon. I was just getting anxious about what may happen to them since they saved our bacon back then. Now let's go in there, rescue that Digimon and kicked the bad guy's ass!" Ichika grinned as he and Agumon high-fived each other. Cecilia couldn't help but smiled at the increasing bond between Ichika and his Digimon.

"You and Agumon are already best friends since a few days ago. I hope whoever becomes my Digimon partner be best friends with me as well."

"And maybe help you with your cooking?" Ichika joked. Cecilia puffed her cheeks with a pout.

"Hardy har, har…" Cecilia sarcastically remarked. "Let's not waste any time and help that Digimon." Ichika and Agumon nodded in agreement as they continued onto the next area.

* * *

As soon as they entered the second area, they heard a scream and something was knocked into Cecilia, knocking her to the ground. "Oww…" Cecilia winced as she rubbed her head to ease the pain.

"Whoa… Déjà vu…" Ichika murmured in awe as he remembered Elecmon ramming into Houki's arms the first time they met. Ichika and Agumon got a good look at what knocked into Cecilia. She has fur sticking out from her shoulders and has a furry chest. Her only form of clothing are the purple sleeves she wears, which has a yin-yang symbol on each, and has three fingers and claws on each hand. Swirling symbols can also be seen on her knees, which are yellow, like most of her body. She also has long, white, three-toed legs and a long, white-tipped tail.

"No way, that's Renamon!" Agumon gasped in awe.

"You know about her, Agumon?" Ichika turned to his partner with a concern look.

"Yeah, they are known for their years of experience and are level-headed, but they have a hard time opening up to others." Agumon explained. Cecilia then looked at the creature called Renamon.

"No doubt about it… This is the same Digimon that appeared in my dream!" Cecilia gasped in shock as she began shaking Renamon awake. "Hey! Are you alright? Wake up!"

Ichika and Agumon carefully listen in to what Renamon was about to say. "Run… before he gets… you…"

"Hey! Hold on! I have a Healing Disk to get you back up! Cecilia, I'll let you give it to her." Ichika gave the Healing Disk to Cecilia.

"E-Eh?" Cecilia blinked as she looked at the disk. "Why me?"

"Because, I think Renamon is fated to meet you and she's gonna need the help she can get to help her get payback on whoever did this to her." Ichika smiled softly before he showed a serious face at the direction where Renamon was knocked from. "I can sense he's nearby. Get ready, Agumon!"

"Right away, Boss! Agumon… Digivolve to…!" Agumon digivolved into GeoGreymon. "GeoGreymon!" Suddenly, the same winged horse appeared and roared at our heroes.

"What is that?" Ichika's eyes widen in shock as he placed his Digivice over his eyes and scanned. It showed the name of the Digimon. Ichika placed his Digivice over his head and frowned seriously. "Unimon, a Holy Beast Digimon. Sounds to me we're gonna be in for a tough ride. GeoGreymon! Get ready!" GeoGreymon nodded as he charged towards Unimon who flew away from him.

"Aerial Attack!" Unimon roared as he fired a Qigong attack at GeoGreymon, giving him medium damage. But GeoGreymon stood his ground as he lashed his tail at Unimon, giving him small damage.

"Mega Shot!" GeoGreymon fired a fireball at Unimon, but he evaded it with ease.

"Aerial Gallop!" Unimon roared again as he flew towards GeoGreymon's sides and stabbed his horn onto it. GeoGreymon roared in pain as he swipe his claw at Unimon, knocking him loose from his side which regenerated quickly.

"Boss! This guy sounds like trouble!" GeoGreymon grimaced as Unimon flew above GeoGreymon and fired another Aerial Attack at GeoGreymon, giving him medium damage. "Mega Flame!" GeoGreymon yelled as he breath out fire on Unimon, but he swiftly flew out of the way and fired another Aerial Attack at GeoGreymon who blocked it.

"Spread Nails!" Unimon roared as he emitted a shockwave attack which hit GeoGreymon and he got swirly eyes because of it.

"Oh crap, this doesn't look good…" Ichika gritted his teeth in fear as Unimon continued his assault on GeoGreymon.

Cecilia gave Renamon the Healing Disk. Renamon groaned as she slowly opened her eyes and looked at Cecilia. "Are you… the one who healed me?"

"Yes. My name is Cecilia Alcott. You must be Renamon." Cecilia properly introduced herself.

"So it would seem…" Renamon nodded in agreement as she slowly got up and got into a battle stance.

"W-What are you doing, Renamon?!" Cecilia gasped in shock as she got up and looked at the Digimon with concerning eyes.

"I must settle the score with Unimon. Now please stand back, this may be dangerous…" Renamon frowned seriously as she got ready to fight.

"No! I won't let you throw away your life because you wanted to settle a score!" Cecilia shook her head no. Renamon looked at Cecilia with a calm but curious look.

"What do you mean by that?" Renamon demanded as she crossed her arms and looked at Cecilia calmly.

"I already lost my parents because of that train crash in England and I don't want to lose any more loved ones because of it. Besides, you and I were destined to meet anyway." Cecilia extended her hand with a soft smile.

"Destined?" Renamon raised an eyebrow as she pondered Cecilia's words.

"I'm trying to say that we can work together to beat any evildoer who gets in our way. And I need your help to help my friend return to his body and solve a mystery about the crisis befalling our world. You don't have to do it alone, Renamon. So please, be my partner!" Suddenly, Cecilia's Digivice which is a smartphone beeped as she got it out and saw that the Digimon Capture has been installed into her Digivice. "Just like with Ichika and Houki…" She whispered.

Renamon thought about it for twenty seconds until she nodded in agreement with Cecilia's words. "Very well… Your words does hold some truth to them about working together. To be honest, I was planning on going in alone, but after hearing your words, I will gladly accept being your partner, my master." Renamon then bowed.

"Arigato, Renamon." Cecilia smiled as she used her Digivice to register Renamon as her partner Digimon. "Now let's help our friends!" Renamon nodded as she started to glow.

 **(Brave Heart Tri from Digimon Adventure Tri plays)**

"Renamon… Digivolve to…!" Renamon started to change shape and she was now a yellow nine-tailed fox with a white mane and mystical blue flames flaring around her paws and tail tips. "Kyubimon!" Kyubimon charged towards Unimon just as he was about to attack GeoGreymon, knocking him into a wall.

Unimon growled as he roared "Spread Nails." He tried to get Kyubimon with his confusing attack, but Kyubimon disappeared just before the attack can hit her. Kyubimon reappeared and lashed her tails at Unimon, giving him bigger damage.

"Wow…" Cecilia gasped in awe.

"Dragon Wheel!" Kyubimon started to spin really fast which causes the flames on her body to erupt into a fiery inferno which turns her body into a ball of swirling inferno. Kyubimon rammed into Unimon, giving him bigger damage.

"Aerial Attack!" Unimon fired his attack at Kyubimon, but all he hit was an illusion. Kyubimon reappeared behind Unimon.

"Now it's time we finished this, Unimon! Fox Tail Inferno!" The blue flames on Kyubimon's tails become brighter and ghostly faces that then become small fireballs which hit Unimon. Unimon screamed in agony as he exploded into data. GeoGreymon snapped out of his confusion and both he and Kyubimon reverted back to Agumon and Renamon.

After Unimon was deleted, both Kyubimon and GeoGreymon reverted back to their Rookie forms as their partners ran up to them. Ichika approached Agumon while Cecilia did the same with Renamon.

"Agumon, I'm glad you're still here." Ichika sighs in relief as he patted him on the head. "I was worried that Unimon was about to trample you into the ground."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Agumona agreed, sighing in relief as well. "I can still feel his hooves on my head and he even tried to confuse me." He and Ichika turned to Cecilia and Renamon. "Still, I'm glad that Cecilia and Renamon were able to bond with each other and helped us win against Unimon." Ichika nodded in agreement as they see their friends bonding with each other and smiled.

"Renamon, that was amazing!" Cecilia beamed. "You were able to delete Unimon and saved GeoGreymon. For a moment, I thought that Unimon was about to win against GeoGreymon, but you were able to save him."

"Well, I couldn't have done it without you, Master Cecilia." Renamon said in gratitude. "Your will to protect your friends not only was enough to convince me, but also helped me digivolve and win against Unimon. It seems that you were right, we are destined to be partners with each other." She then turns her attention to Ichika and glared at him.

"Uhh...why are you glaring at me like that, Renamon?" Ichika asked confusedly.

"Your body...it's not organic, isn't it?" Renamon asked warningly. "It's comprised of data, right?" Ichika nodded as Renamon glared at him more with a intense feeling. "Then you're are nothing but a threat to us all! I should delete you right here and now!" She got into a battle stance until Cecilia and Agumon stands in between her and their friend.

"Wait, don't attack him, Renamon!" Cecilia reasoned. "He's not a threat, he's our friend! It was an accident that turned his body to half-digital and we're trying to return him to his original body. We can assure you that he's not a threat as you think he is." Agumon nodded in agreement as he waited for Renamon makes her move.

"Guys, it's all right." Ichika said with a smile. "I'm sure Renamon's just being careful and wanted to protect you." He then turns to face Renamon who was wary of him. "And Renamon, I can assure you that I'm not a threat. I won't let anything happen to Cecilia, I can promise you that."

"Very well, I'll take your word for it." Renamon said before glaring at Ichika some more. "But if you ever step out of line or hurt Cecilia in any way, I won't hesitate to delete you right where you stand." Ichika nodded as they all exited Kowloon and headed back to the real world. Unknown to them, the same three silhouettes from before were watching them leave.

"Looks like that's 4 Digimon who has bonded with humans." A male voice said darkly. "I can't believe that humans were able to help them digivolve so easily. We've got to do something about this before they get even more stronger."

"And how do you intend to do that?" A female voice asked with a sneer. "Even if we could come up with a plan, what's to stop them from finding more Digimon and using them against us?"

"Settle down, you two." A second male voice said calmly. "We'll come up with a plan for them, but not right now. For now, we'll be watching from the background and see what their next move is later. Let's head back and report this to our master, He needs to hear about this and give him the results of his project." The other two nodded in agreement as they vanished from sight.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next chapter: IS Girls and Digimon Partners: Part 3 of 7: Ling and Gatomon**

 **A/n: Sorry for the long wait, everyone. Well, that's two IS girls who have their Digimon partners, only 5 more to go. Next up is Ling and Gatomon. Also, Panther J's aunt and uncle are officially married, so congratulations to them both. See you next time!**


	5. IS Girls and Digimon Partners 3 of 7

**A/N: With only 4 more chapters of this mini-arc to go, we will go into the anime filler chapters before a main case chapter. Remember, there will be three anime filler chapters each before a main case. There will also be regular filler chapters after all the anime shows have been introduced. So here is Chapter 5.**

 **Chapter 5: IS Girls and Digimon Partners: Part 3 of 7: Ling and Gatomon**

* * *

Not long after saving Renamon from Unimon and her becoming Cecilia's partner, Ichika and Cecilia returned to the real world where their friends are all waiting for them. Upon arriving back in the Kyoko Detective Agency, everyone surrounded them to see if their friends were okay.

"Welcome back, you two." Kyoko greeted "Nice to see you're both back in one piece. When we saw Unimon gaining the upper hand or hoof in his case, we thought that you were done for until Renamon digivolved into Kyubimon and deleted him. So I take the mission was successful?"

"Yeah, we were able to save Renamon from Unimon." Ichika answered with a smile. "Cecilia was able to bond with her and helped us win against Unimon when she digivolved. Of course, she did kinda took noticed of my body being half-digital and threaten to delete me if I step out of line or hurt Cecilia."

"Wait, she threaten you because of your body being half-digital?" Ling asked in shock. "Why would she threaten you like that? It's not like you wanted to be like that in the first place."

"Don't worry, I'm sure she was just being cautious, Ling." Ichika reassured her. "She was just protecting Cecilia and making sure she was safe, that's all. It'll take some time for her to trust us, so let's just take it slow for now. I'm certain she'll open up to us down the line." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"In any case, our mission is done for now." Kyoko said with a smile. "Why don't all of you take a break and explore around Nakano? I'm sure you must've worked up an appetite while inside Kowloon and us watching."

"Now that you mention it, I'm getting pretty hungry." Houki agrees, smiling as well. "I kinda skipped breakfast this morning because I was running late and I had to make a run for the station." She then turns to her friends. *Let's head for the restaurant just down the hall, we can have s late lunch there and wait for our next case." Everyone nodded in agreement as they exited the office to have some lunch.

"I'm glad they're all getting along." Kyoko smiled "This is the first time I've seen Satoru so happy in a long time." She looks at a portrait on her desk with of herself as a teenager, her late father, late aunt and Satoru as a child in her arms and all were smiling. "I'm glad to see him smiling again, I just wish Father and Aunt were here to see him being happy again. Oh well, I'm sure they'll be watching over us from now on." Her attention was broken as her cellphone starts ringing and it was Detective Matayoshi calling. "Hmm, Detective Matayoshi? Why is he calling me? I better see what he has to say." She then answers her phone. "Yes, this is the Kuremi Detective Agency."

"Kyo-chan, I'm glad to have reached you." Matayoshi said in relief. "There have been reports of people's accounts being stolen and used without them even knowing. We believe it's the work of a hacker, so we figured you and your assistants may be able to stop this hacker before he finds more accounts."

"I see, that does sound like something a hacker would do." Kyoko said, frowning seriously. "Tell me more, I'll let my assistants know once they've returned from their lunch." Both she and Matayoshi continued talking about the hacker.

* * *

A little later, our heroes arrived at the cafe on the first floor and had some lunch. They sat around a large table as the waitress brings them their food and all started eating.

"Mmm, this is so good." Ling squealed as she take a bite out of her ramen. "Who would've guessed that a cafe would be serving meals like these? If these are the kinds of food they have, then consider me a regular here." Her friends all nodded in agreement while Satoru and Twoearle smiled.

"Glad to know you guys like it here so far." Satoru said happily. "Nakano's known for having restaurants that are not like the other restaurants you've all probably been to before, but the food here is just as good if not better than the other restaurants."

"And not to mention at a fraction of the cost." Twoearle agrees "All the restaurants and food vendors here aren't as expensive as the others, so you won't have to worry about breaking the bank. We can come here to eat any time you like."

"Well, then it's settled." Ichika smiled. "From now on, we'll be coming to eat here whenever we get hungry or just want to hang out. We can also make this our personal hangout when we feel tired." Everyone nodded in agreement as they continued eating their lunch.

As they continued eating, they noticed two high school girls sitting at a table next to them and were talking to each other about something. Wanting to hear what they were saying, Houki turns on her communicator and listens in on their conversation.

"Hey, have you heard the rumors?" The first girl asked worriedly. "There's been a lot of people having their accounts hacked into and either stolen or erased all together. They say it's a hacker stealing everyone's accounts and just using them for fun."

"No way, are you serious?" The second girl asked in shock. "That's exactly what happened to the office building my mom works at. All the information there was erased in less than a day and all their business just went downhill." On the table next to them, three high school boys heard them talking.

"Wait, you girls too?" The first boy asked in shock. "That's what happened with this restaurant in Shibuya. All their money was stolen and they couldn't pay the employees. So they had no choice but to close up and now they're all jobless."

"From what I've heard, this hacker has been going around Kowloon and attacking every place in Tokyo." The second boy said with a frown. "They say he's been targeting hardworking people and hacking into their accounts to steal their information and money from banks. They even say he's using one of those Digimon things to help him in his spree." That got everyone's attention as they continued eavesdropping.

"You mean one of those programs that's been going around recently?" The first girl asked in shock.

"Yeah, the very same ones." The third boy answered "They say that all their accounts were stolen so fast, they didn't react fast enough to stop it. Even the police are going around and arresting innocent people who had their accounts stolen from them and being sent to jail. They even said that, unless the hacker reveals himself, they'll release all the people they've arrested." The five high schoolers continues talking as our heroes all looked at each other.

"Looks like our next mission came sooner than we expected." Laura frowned seriously. "That hacker is going around Kowloon stealing other people's accounts for himself and watching them get arrested for his crime. We'd better find him and put a stop to his crime spree while also clearing those people's names." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"In that case, let's head back to the office." Ichika nodded in agreement. "Kyoko needs to hear what we just learned about. I have a feeling we'll be in for a tougher fight than before." Everyone nodded in agreement as they paid for their meals and headed back to the agency.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

In the depths of Kowloon, two lone figures were standing and laughing in glee. The first figure was a young man who was working on three panels in front of them and searching through different accounts. The larger figure behind him was a Digimon that resembles a giant mole with a drill and was laughing alongside his master.

"Man, we've really hit the big time now, Drimogemon!" The hacker laughed cruelly. "I can't believe those people were just a bunch of idiots for leaving their accounts lying around and not keeping watch of them. It was all too easy to just swipe them and make us rich in the end!"

"So what do we plan to do next, sir?" Drimogemon asked "Who's going to be our next target?"

"Not who, Drimogemon. What." The hacker answered with a dark grin. "I believe it's take we take our spree to the next level and start going for banks." He then brings up his panels as an image of a bank comes up on screen. "And I know just where to hit, the First National Bank of Tokyo. Once we hack into their network and enter the vault, we'll have all the money we want and retire for the rest of our lives!" Both he and Drimogemon started laughing as they didn't know they were being watched by a cat Digimon peeking from the corner.

"Those jerks just don't know when to stop." The cat frowned seriously. "If they think they can rob a bank and not be caught, then they've got another thing coming. I'll have to follow them and stop their plans for their greed." Both the hacker and Drimogemon started leaving for the bank as she started following them.

* * *

 **Back at Nakano Broadway**

* * *

After hearing about a hacker stealing accounts from people, Ichika and the gang all raced back to the agency to tell Kyoko about what they had heard. Upon arriving at the office, Kyoko was still sitting on her desk waiting for them.

"Kyoko, we've got an emergency!" Houki shouted. "We've got word there's a hacker on the loose and stealing people's accounts! We've also heard that innocent people are being arrested for his crimes and won't be released until he's caught."

"I know, I just finished talking with Detective Matayoshi about that." Kyoko nodded with a frown. "He explained to me about a hacker lurking around Kowloon and breaking into accounts of everyday people and local businesses around Tokyo. He even said that the same innocent people you've mentioned are being arrested for his crimes. Unless we catch him and bring him to justice, he'll be continuing his crime spree while innocent people get the blame for his actions."

"Then we'd better find this jerk and stop before more innocent people are blamed for his crimes!" Ling frowned as she slams her fist into her palm. "We can't let him have his way with everyone's accounts and making people suffer for his enjoyment!" Everyone nodded in agreement as Kyoko stands up from her desk and grabs her keys.

"Well then, we'd better find that hacker and stop him before this gets out of control." Kyoko agreed. "Matayoshi said that his next target is the First National Bank of Tokyo. It's a two hour drive from Nakano, so we'd better hurry over there. There's no telling what he can do in those two hours." Everyone nodded in agreement until Kanzashi realized something.

"But how are we going to drive over to the bank?" Kanzashi asked worriedly. "Most of us still don't have Digimon partners like the others and I don't think all of us can fit in your car." Everyone looked at each other and realized she was right until Kyoko spoke up.

"I've thought about that and I came up with a solution." Kyoko said with a smile. "For those who have Digimon partners will come with me to the bank while everyone else stays here." She turns to Ichika, Satoru, Houki and Cecilia. "And since you four are the only ones with Digimon so far, you'll be coming with me to stop the hacker and bring him to justice." The four friends all nodded in agreement as Ling steps forward.

"Kyoko, let me come with you." Ling pleaded. "I have this gut feeling that something's about to happen over there and I want to see it for myself, I just know it. So please, let me come with you, Kyoko."

"If that's how you really feel, then I won't stop you." Kyoko nods. "Just make sure you stay behind Ichika and the others until you find a Digimon partner. If your gut feeling is correct, then you'll find your partner soon enough." Ling nodded as she turned to everyone else. "The rest of you will be staying here and hold down the fort for us. Make sure you all keep your communicators on and stay in touch, we don't want anything bad happen while we're out."

"Not to worry, we'll keep watch over the agency, Kyoko." Tatenashi said with a thumbs up. "We'll make sure everyone's in order until you guys return from your mission and stopping that hacker." Her friends and sister all nodded in agreement.

"Right then, we'll be heading out now." Kyoko said "Make sure to stay in touch with us, we're counting on you to make sure your friends make it out safely." Everyone nodded in agreement as she, Ichika, Satoru, Houki, Cecilia and Ling all left the office and headed for the bank while Twoearle flips up Satoru's laptop and everyone activated their communicators.

* * *

 **First National Bank of Tokyo**

* * *

After driving for two hours, our heroes arrived at the First National Bank of Tokyo. This is an important building because all the money of Tokyo are kept here. Kyoko and her group arrived at the front of the bank. Kyoko got her cellphone ready. "We arrived at the First National Bank. Did you find out where the hacker is, Twoearle?"

"Already on it, Kyoko." Twoearle typed away on Satoru's computer until she got the hacker's signal. "Got him! He's right near the servers of the First National Bank! …Hmm?" She detected an Digimon signal and it's blinking. "Hey, there's a Digimon confronting the hacker. I'm not sure what the outcome will be, but we need to hurry to save the Digimon and stop the hacker!"

"Got it." Ichika nodded as he and his friends looked around. "Now where to Connect Jump into?" Ichika then noticed a glowing light on the second ATM. "Bingo!" He turned to his four friends. "Alright, now this is where things get serious. Ling, stay close to us and we'll help what may be your future Digimon partner."

"O-Okay." Ling nodded as they got near the ATM.

"Alright, be careful and good luck." Kyoko nodded. "I'll keep watch to see if there is any susipous activity." Ichika and his four friends nodded as Ichika used his Connect Jump to jump into the ATM with Houki, Satoru, Cecilia and Ling.

* * *

 **(Meanwhile, in Kwoloon…)**

* * *

"Ugh!" The cat Digimon grunted as she was knocked back by Drimogemon. She was forced on her knees as the hacker and Drimogemon laughed evilly as Drimogenmon readies his drill.

"Hehehe, a Digimon like you is planning to stop my greatest hack on the First National Bank? Pathetic!" The hacker sneered cruelly.

"You… You won't get away with this!" The cat Digimon growled as she tried to stand up.

"Hah! You don't have a partner, that's why you lost!" Drimogemon mocked before turning to his master. "Shall I finish her off, boss?"

"Hahahah! Do it!" The hacker grinned darkly.

"With pleasure! Iron Drill Spin!" Drimogemon drills his spin nose towards the cat Digimon. The cat Digimon gritted her teeth and closed her eyes.

Suddenly, "Not on my watch, you creeps!" A blur charged towards the cat Digimon and grabbed her just before Drimogemon can get her. The blur is revealed to be Ling holding the cat Digimon. Ling looked at the cat Digimon with a smile. "Whew! Glad we made it in time! What's your name?"

"G-Gatomon..." Gatomon gasped in awe as Ling sets her down. "Thank you for saving me. I thought I was done for." Gatomon looked at Ling. "But why did you save me even though we met for the first time?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ling winked. "I was like you, always being bullied back when I was a kid and I felt so powerless, but thanks to a childhood friend of mine, he gave me the strength to not let people push me around. Besides, call it a hunch though, we were destined to meet." Ling smiled as she held Gatomon's paw with a smile. "So Gatomon, will you be my partner? You can't face those creeps alone."

"Good point." Gatomon agreed with a smile as she got into a battle stance. "So let's beat some crud out of them!" Suddenly, Ling's Digivice which was a cellphone with a bear palette on it rang and Ling checked it and saw that the Digimon Capture has been installed into her Digivice. She wasted no time in registering Gatomon as her partner.

"Now you're talking, Gatomon!" Ling grinned as she and Gatomon glared at the hacker and Drimogemon.

"Who the hell are you?!" The hacker demanded with a growl. Suddenly, Ichika, Houki, Cecilia and Satoru ran up to Ling and Gatomon with Ichika, Houki and Cecilia's Digimon partners already in their Champion forms.

"You got a lot of nerve trying to steal money from the First National Bank!" Cecilia growled as Kyubimon stood by, ready for orders, "A lot of people are in jail because of you!"

"So we're here to capture you and turn you in!" Houki added as Leomon readies his sword.

"So prepare to feel the wrath of Ichika Orimura, leader of the Cyber Sleuths!" Ichika yelled as he got ready to issue orders. "GeoGreymon, get ready!"

"Right, Boss!" GeoGreymon nodded as he glared at Drimogemon.

"Ichika… Orimura?" The hacker muttered before he gasped in shock. "No way! You're Chifuyu Orimura's brother!" He growled as he spit on the digital ground. "Damn it all. I guess I have to beat all of you before I rob the bank blind! Drimogemon, show them no mercy!"

"Roger! Screw Claw!" Drimogemon lashed his claws at the gang's Digimon, but Leomon blocked the attack with his fists.

"Not on my watch!" Leomon growled as he punched Drimogemon in the stomach, knocking him back.

"Hey Ling?" Cecilia looked at Ling and Gatomon. "Are you sure it's okay for your partner to be in Rookie form to fight?"

"Actually, I'm a Champion." Gatomon said proudly.

There was silence between the heroes before they gawked "WHAT?!"

"But you look like a Rookie form!" Houki gasped in shock.

"Have you ever heard the saying looks are deceiving? Now let's work together, Ling! Lightning Paw!" Gatomon charged towards Drimogemon and thrusts her paw onto the Digimon's face, knocking him back.

"Why you!" Drimogemon growled as he charged towards Kyubiimon and tried to hit her, but she leaped out of the way.

"Fox Tailed Inferno!" Kyubiimon launched her attack at Drimogemon, giving him medium damage.

"Dash Metal!" Dorumon charged towards Drimogemon and fired an iron sphere from his mouth which hit Drimogemon for medium damage.

"Crusher Bone!" Drimogemon growled in fury as he threw a bone at the team, but GeoGreymon whipped it with his tail.

"Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon yelled as he thrust his energy attack at Drimogemon, giving him large damage.

"Grrr! Don't lose to them, Drimogemon!" The hacker growled in fury as Drimogemon tried to bull rush Gatomon, but she leaped out of the way.

"Alright, Gatomon! That's the way to do it!" Ling leaped for joy. "Now try a attack that will knock their socks off!"

"Got it! Lightning Paw!" Gatomon agreed as she rushed towards Drimogemon and gave him a killer uppercut which knocked him in the air and sent him to the ground.

"I have enough of you brats! Drill-?!" Drimogemon was at first, angry, but gawked as he sees GeoGreymon getting ready to end the battle.

"Time to finish this! Mega Shot!" GeoGreymon breathed fire onto Drimogemon, ending the fight. Drimogemon screamed in agony as he was deleted.

Once Drimogemon was deleted, the hacker was now defenseless as our heroes and their Digimon partners all surrounded him as he couldn't believe what just happened and fell on his butt. The Digimon all readied themselves should he try to escape.

"No…how did this happen…?" The hacker asked in shock. "I thought I was going to get off scot-free by using other people's accounts… How did you managed to defeat me…?"

"It's because we wanted to stop you from ruining everyone's lives for your enjoyment." Ichika answered with a frown. "You wanted to use other people's accounts for your selfish greed and letting them take the blame for you. But now, your crime spree is at an end and it's time for you to face the penalty for your actions." Everyone nodded in agreement as the hacker stayed silent, knowing that he lost and didn't even bother to escape as Houki and Ling ties him up with ropes.

"Okay, that should about do it." Houki smiled. "Now that we've caught the real culprit, all those people who were arrested can now be released. Let's head back to the real world and turn him in to the police." Everyone nodded in agreement as GeoGreymon, Leomon and Kyubimon all rented back to their Rookie forms while Gatomon stayed the same.

"Before we do, there's something we need to make sure." Satoru said as he opened a menu and began checking the bank's network. "We need to make sure that the bank's security system hans't been hacked into yet and everything's still in working order." Everyone nodded in agreement as he starts checking the bank's network to make sure none of it was tampered with.

"So how is it, Satoru? Is the bank's security still in one piece?" Cecilia asked.

"Yeah, everything's still intact and working properly." Satoru answered with a smile. "Our work here is done. Let's head back to the real world and turn him in to Matayoshi." Everyone nodded in agreement as they returned their Digimon partners back into their Digivices and logged out.

* * *

 **Back in the real world**

* * *

Kyoko was still waiting in front of the ATM where Ichika and the gang entered and still keeping watch of any suspicious activity. Just then, police cars arrived on scene in front of the bank as Matayoshi and several policemen all exited their cruisers and walked up to her.

"Kyo-chan, we've got your call." Matayoshi said as he greeted Kyoko. "When we heard that you and your assistants have found the real culprit, we raced over here as fast as we could. So where is he?"

"Not to worry, Detective. My assistances will be here with our man any moment now." Kyoko said and right on cue, Ichika and the gang all arrived back in the real world with the hacker in tow. "Right on time, just as I expected from my assistances." She turns to Matayoshi. "Here he is, the real culprit. He's the one who's been hacking into people's accounts and framing them for his crimes. He almost did the same to the bank to steal all the money, but my assistants were able to stop him in time." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I see, then we'll take it from here, kids." Matayoshi smiled. "We'll take him back to the station and release all the people he has framed." He turns to the policemen behind him. "Take him away, boys. This one will be spending his time being bars for years to come." The policemen all nodded in agreement as one of them walks over to Houki where she hands him the rope and he takes the hacker to one of the cruisers and pushes him in the back seat and closing the door. "Well the, we'll be taking our leave now. I'll send your payment later, thank you for your help." He tips his hat before entering the cruiser and drives off back to the station.

"Well, that's that." Cecilia smiled softly. Ling checked her Digivice with a smile.

"We did it, Gatomon. We caught the hacker and that'll hopefully get those who were robbed by that hacker get their businesses back." Ling said happily.

"Yeah. And I have you to thank, Ling. You were right, we were destined to meet." Gatomon smiled back.

"Now shall we head back to Nakao and tell everyone the good news?" Satoru smiled as he adjusted his glasses.

"Yeah. Plus, Ling wants to introduce everyone to her new Digimon partner." Ichika smiled in agreement as everyone boarded Kyoko's car and headed back to Nakano.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next chapter: IS Girls and Digimon Partners: Part 4 of 7: Char and Biyomon**

 **A/n: Another chapter done! Anyway, next chapter will have Char getting Biyomon as her Digimon partner, so stay tuned!**


	6. IS Girls and Digimon Partners 4 of 7

**A/N: We're getting close to the end of this mini-arc and I wanted to try something my friends from the NISA forums suggested, at the final part of this mini-arc, I will have the Hyperdimension Neptunia girls appear at the final part of this mini-arc. So without further ado, here is Chapter 6.**

 **Chapter 6: IS Girls and Digimon Partners: Part 4 of 7: Char and Biyomon**

* * *

Not long after stopping a hacker from robbing the First National Bank and turning him in to Matayoshi, our heroes rode back to Nakano to tell everyone their mission to stop the hacker was successful. Upon arriving back at Nakano, our heroes made their way to the office and entered where everyone was waiting for their return.

"Welcome back, everyone." Char greeted with a smile. "We're glad you're all still in one piece. When we saw that hacker and Drimogemon were about to attack Gatomon, we thought you weren't going to make it in time. But thanks to Ling being the fastest out of us, she was able to save her and everyone worked together to stop that hacker." Her friends all nodded in agreement.

"Well, we couldn't have made it in time if Ling haven't rushed ahead of us." Ichika agrees, smiling back. "The moment we arrived in Kowloon through the ATM, she ran ahead of us and was able to reach Gatomon in time and helped us take out Drimogemon." Everyone turned to Ling who showed them Gatomon in her Digivice and waved at them and they waved back. *Still, it was surprising to see that Gatomon was a Champion instead of a Rookie." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Well, it's as she said, looks can be deceiving." Satoru chuckled. "I'm not sure even the hacker knew she was a Champion either and tried to delete her because she had no partner. Luckily, we arrived in time to save her and stop the hacker before he could rob the bank. I'd say our work here is done for now." He then turns to Ichika. "By the way, you still owe me some ice cream for losing to me 3 times yesterday."

"Right, I almost forgot about that." Ichika said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "I did promise you I'd be buying you ice cream for the week if I lost to you 3 times. Well, let's head for the third floor and get some ice cream." Satoru nodded as they exited to office to by ice cream while the IS girls and Kyoko watched them leave.

"Ya know, this is the first time we've seen Ichika having this much fun." Ling said with a small smile. "It's almost like he's a completely different person. I wonder why is that?"

"Maybe it's because he's now hanging out with another guy." Houki answered her, smiling softly as well. "The only other guy he hangs out with is Dan and he's not always around. And now that we've met with Satoru in the last few days, they've became almost like brothers."

"That's right, Ichika was always around us both in and out of school." Cecilia said in agreement. "We never once seen him with any other boy expect for Dan, but like Houki said, he's not always around. It must be nice for Ichika to have another guy around to hang out with."

"Not only that, but Satoru seems to be having fun as well." Char agrees, smiling softly. "When we first arrived, he did seem a little sad and depressed. But after being with him for a few days, he's really starting to open up more. He's even smiling and laughing more as well."

"Well, I have all of you to thank for that." Kyoko said with a smile as she crossed her arms. "After meeting all of you, Satoru's been starting to come out of his shell and smiling more because of you guys. I can't thank you all enough for helping him come out of his shell and being more open to everyone."

"We're glad to have helped, Kyoko." Kanzashi smiled back as she bowed in gratitude. "After hearing what happened to his uncle and mother, we couldn't help but feel sorry for him. We wanted to help him be more open and show him that there are people who cares about him." Her friends and sister all nodded in agreement.

"And I'm glad you all did." Kyoko said with a smile. "Well then, with the hacker behind bars and all those people free from charges, I'd say our work here is done for the day. Why don't all take a break and we'll see what happens next." Everyone nodded as they left the office for their break.

* * *

 **With the boys**

* * *

Not long after splitting up with the girls, Ichika and Satoru were hanging out at an ice cream parlor as part of their bet where if one of them would lose four out of eight times, the loser has to buy ice cream for a week. Satoru was having a sundae while Ichik was having a chocolate milkshake.

"Ahh, that's some good ice cream." Satoru smiled as he ate his sundae. "Nothing like everyone's favorite frozen treat to cool yourself after a hard day at work. It really hits the spot and cools you down on a hot day."

"Yeah, it sure does hit the spot." Ichika agrees with a smile as he drank his milkshake. "It's been a long time since I've had ice cream with anyone. The last time I had some, it was with my sister and that was before she left on a business trip for two months. Until she comes back by the end of May, it's just me and my friends together."

"Speaking of your friends, there's something I've been meaning to ask you, Ichika." Satoru said as he looked at him. "How did you mean Houki and the others? From what I've seen, you guys have been together for a long time. So how did you meet all of them, Ichika?"

"Well, it's kind of a long and complicated story, but I can still tell you." Ichika answered with a sheepish grin. "I'll start with Houki since she's the first person I met during my first day at the IS Academy." Satoru nodded as he clears his throat. "Well, I knew Houki back when we were kids and we both took up kendo for a while. But during the tournament six years ago, that's when the IS were created and I moved away. Tabane was the one who created the IS and is also Houki's older sister."

"Wait, you mean THE Tabane Shinonono?" Satoru asked in shock. "The one who created the IS was Houki's older sister?" Ichika nodded "That's amazing, it must be great having an older sister who's a famous scientist know around the world. How come she never mentioned her sister at all?"

"That's just it, Houki doesn't like talking about her sister at all." Ichika answered with a sad frown. "Six years ago when the IS were first created and introduced to the public, not only did Houki believes that their creation costed her victory at the kendo tournament but I also moved away during that time. Because of that, Houki has started to hate Tabane for creating them in the first place and often hopes that they'll be forgotten and make Tabane feel the pain she felt."

"But doesn't that seem a bit harsh?" Satoru asked in concern. "I know she feels angry at her sister for creating the IS, but isn't she hating her own sister for all the wrong reasons? Hating Tabane for creating the IS and making her lose the tournament is one thing, but saying that she wants the IS to be forgotten is going a little too far."

"Maybe, but Houki doesn't always forgive and forget." Ichika agrees. "It'll take her a while to trust someone again and forgive them of their actions. Just give some time to cool off and I'm sure she'll talk about it later."

"Yeah, you're right. We should let her calm down." Satoru agrees "I'm sure she'll be ready to make up with her sister soon enough, we'll just need to give her more time." Ichika nodded in agreement. "So what about the others? How did you meet them?"

"Well, I can tell you that how I met each of them was an experience in of itself." Ichika answered him. "I'll start with Cecilia since she's the second person I met on first day along with Houki. I'm sure you've noticed that she doesn't look Japanese, right?" Satoru nodded. "That's because she came from England and is our Class Representative. She came to the academy to represent her country and be the best IS pilot in the academy. Unfortunately, that was also when she was really arrogant and let all that responsibility get to her head. Which made her think she can do no wrong."

"Wow…" Satoru muttered with the bored white dotted eyes.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Ichika agrees "Anyway, that was also when she challenged me to a duel to see which of us can be Class Representative and I lost. But even despite that, there were no hard feelings between us and she fell in love with me soon after. Just a heads up, that's going to be the running theme of this conversation. Just wanted to let you know before you get confused."

"Right, thanks for the heads up." Satoru nods in agreement. "So who came after Cecilia?"

"Next up is Ling and like Houki, she's someone I knew back when we were kids." Ichika answered him. "You remember what she said to Gatomon about being bullied, right?" Satoru nodded. "She's not lying, she was constantly bullied back then until I stood up to them and protected her. After that, we made a promise that if she can learn how to cook for me, she'll be my girlfriend when we grow up."

"So let me guess, you forgot about that promise you made with her years ago and is ticked about it?" Satoru asked with a bored smile.

"Yeah, I completely forgot about our promise and now she just beats me up." Ichika answered "But still, she someone you can rely on and is always there to lend a hand when you need her." Satoru smiled and nodded. "Next up is Char and I can tell you, this is where things get weird."

"What do you mean by that?" Satoru asked in confusion.

"Well, it all started when she first came to the academy, but I'll get to the main reason in a little bit." Ichika answered him. "You've heard of a corporation run by Mr. Dunios, right?" Satoru nodded. "Well, that's where Char comes into play as she was sent to the academy disguised as a boy." Satoru gasped in shock. "Yeah, I was just as shock are you when I found out Char was a girl by complete accident."

"But why was she sent to the academy dressed as a boy?" Satoru asked in confusion. "Was there some kind of reason to why she tricked everyone into thinking she was a boy?"

"Unfortunately, there was a reason and that's where her father comes in." Ichika answered "Because that his company was bankrupted and he needed to buff up sales, he had Char sent to the academy disguised as a boy and get close to me because I was the only boy who can pilot an IS and steal all the plans for himself. Once she was found out, she told me everything about her real reason for coming to the academy and I promised her to protect her from her father and she fell in love with me."

"I just can't believe that guy…" Satoru frowned seriously as he clenched his fists in anger. "He has his own daughter to get to you and save his company from bankruptcy! If I find that guy, I'll make him regret ever working in this country ever again!"

"Then let's both make him regret using Char for his selfish reasons." Ichika agrees, frowning as well. "We'll let him see than Char doesn't want to be his puppet anymore and make sure he never bothers her ever again." Satoru nodded in agreement as both boys shook hands. *Now I'm sure you're wondering how I met Laura, right?" Satoru nodded again. "Well, I can tell that our meeting was a doozy."

"How so?" Satoru asked, raising an eyebrow..

"You know how my sister's a famous IS pilot, right?" Ichika asked back as Satoru nodded. "Well, Laura was one of her fans and when she asked my sister how she became so strong, she said that I was her strength to keep her going and her biggest supporter. But Laura didn't see it that way and thought I was making her weak, so she decided to enroll at the academy where she plans to kill me."

"Wait, what?! Kill you?" Satoru gasped in shock "Why would she want to kill you?"

"Because she was trained into thinking that protecting someone makes you weak and wants to remove me from the picture." Ichika answered "She was able to win against Cecilia and Ling with no problem until me and Char were next to fight her. About halfway through our fight, Laura decided to stop playing around and got serious as she activates her special powers. You know how she's wearing an eyepatch on her left eye." Satoru nodded, "Once she removes it, that's when she activates her VT-System in her IS and she went berserk as she starts attacking everyone and everything around her."

"So how was she stopped?" Satoru asked "Did you have to destroy her IS?"

"No, I've entered an Inter-IS subspace where I was able to consul her to calm down." Ichika answered "It wasn't easy, but I was able to get through to her and show her my strength is my freedom to choose and helping those I care about. After that, she returns to the academy like a completely different person than before and kissed me in front of everyone and even said that I'm now her wife."

"Wait, you're her wife?" Satoru asked with white dotted eyes. "Shouldn't that be the other way around since you're a guy and she's a girl?"

"Believe me, I've been telling her that for about a year and she still comes me her wife." Ichika answered with a sigh. "But still, she was able to be like a normal girl and even because best friends with Char later on. Now the last two are Tatenashi and Kanzashi, the Sarashiki sisters. When they first arrived at the academy, they weren't really seeing each other eye to eye and have been getting distant from each other. There were even times where they wouldn't speak with each other and I had to step in and try to get them back together." He noticed that Satoru was silent the whole time. "Satoru, are you still there?" He snaps his fingers and breaks him out of his thoughts.

"Huh? What? What happened?" Satoru asked with a stutter. "Oh, sorry Ichika. I wasn't paying attention. So what were you saying about Tatenashi and Kanzashi?" Ichika could tell he was hiding something, but decided to leave it be for now.

"Anyway, when they first arrived to the academy, Kanzashi's IS was put on hold for the development of my IS unit." Ichika explained. "Because of that and my rise to fame, she started to resent me despite the fact I had nothing to do with that decision. It got even worse when she always competed against Tatenashi and even feels incompetent to her. But thanks to Tatenashi, our Student Council President, her IS unit was completed and she was able to realize that she was competing against and idealized conception of her sister and is now more accepting of her own accomplishments. After that, they made up and are being like a family again. In fact, Tatenashi was the one who asked for my help in getting Kanzashi's IS operational in time for the school competition and they both fell in love with me."

"Wow, you guys had some adventures for over a year now." Satoru said with a smile. "Not only you're the only guy in the academy to pilot an IS, but you also have seven girls all falling for you. That must be hard on you, seeing as all of them have feelings for you but you can only choose one of them."

"Yeah, it is hard for me to choose between them." Ichika agrees "I care about all of them, but I also have to choose between them I love the most." He then slumps forward on the table with a heavy sigh. "I just wish I didn't have to choose only one of them and make the others sad." He felt Satoru's hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe, but we've all gotta make choices." Satoru said with a soft smile. "But just know that I'll be there when you do choose one of them. Who knows, they might be finding people who'll treat them with the same love you've given them. We'll just have to see what happens later on." Ichika nodded in agreement as they continued on talking and having ice cream.

* * *

 **Meanwhile with the girls**

* * *

Not long after splitting up with Ichika and Satoru, the IS girls and Twoearle were hanging out in the arcade on the fourth floor and playing Tekken 7. Ling was playing as Asuka Kazama and was winning against Laura's character King. As Ling pulls of an insane combo, she was able to beat Laura and win the game.

"Yes! Gotcha, Laura! Sorry, but looks like I'm the champion here." Ling laughed as she did the V for Victory sign.

"How did I lose? I had my strategy planned out and had you in my sights." Laura stuttered in shock. "How did you managed to break through my strategy and beat me?"

"It's because you need to be more aggressive when playing a fighting game, Laura." Ling answered her while smirking. "And because you left yourself open after your combos, I was able to move in and kick your butt across the arena." She then started doing a victory dance as Laura lowered her head in disappointment and their friends watching them.

"Ya know, Ichika sure is happy to hanging with another guy." Houki smiled "After being around us for so long, it's about time we let him hang out with someone else other than us all the time." Her friends all nodded in agreement.

"Not only that, he's also finally ready to admit which of us he likes the most." Cecilia agrees "We've all seen how both him and Char have been getting closer and are slowly blushing whenever they're near each other." Everyone all turned towards Char who blushed as she knew they were talking about.

"Speaking of which, there's something else I've been wondering." Tatenashi added as she scratch her chin in thought. "I've been wondering who Twoearle is since she's never told us anything about her." She then turned towards to Twoearle. "Hey Twoearle, who are you really? What city or country you're from?" Everyone turned to Twoearle as she started sweating bullets.

"Well… That's… I mean…" Twoearle stuttered and looks down a bit. "Sorry, but I can't tell you right now. I need some time to tell you who I really am and where I came from." She sits back down on her chair as Houki noticed that she's a bit down.

"Guys, let's give her some time." Houki advised. "I'm sure she'll tell us who she is and where she's really from whenever she's ready. Let's not try to pressure her about it and let her tell us once she's ready." Her friends all nodded in agreement as they started playing more arcade games.

* * *

Sometime later, it was closing time as most of the shops, restaurants and food vendors were all closing up for the night and most of the people were all heading home. Our heroes later met up with each other and headed back to the office where Kyoko was reading a letter from Matayoshi and with some Yen as payment for catching the hacker.

"Hey, Kyoko. We're back." Ling greeted "Our break had just ended and we saw everyone closing up, so we've decided to come back here." Everyone nodded in agreement as they noticed the letter in her hand. "Hey, what are you reading?"

"Oh, this? It's a letter sent to us by Matayoshi." Kyoko answered with a smile. "He wanted to thank us for catching that hacker for him and releasing all the people wrongfully accused for his crimes. Not only that, but the all the businesses are slowly opening up again and will be back on its feet by next year or so." She then takes out the Yen from the envelope. *And he even sent us payment for our assistance in the case. Read the letter and see what he has to say." Everyone nodded as Ichika takes the letter and starts reading.

"Everyone, I can't thank you all enough for helping us catch that hacker. He's been on the run for half a year and we couldn't even get close because he always finds a way to escape into cyberspace in Kowloon. Not only that, but he also has a record of framing others to take the blame for him while he gets off scot-free and we only end up arresting an innocent person every time. When you kids showed up and put him in his place, we were relieved to not only finally arresting this guy, but also apologize to everyone for falsely arresting them. So on behalf of myself and the TPD, we'd like to thank you for your help and hoping we'll be needing it again in the near future." Everyone all looked at the Yen in the envelope. *Also, here's your payment and reward for helping us catch the hacker. It's about 500,000 Yen in total, so use it as you kids see fit. The reward for his capture was 450,000 Yen, I just added in the extra 50,000 as payment for your assistance. I'll be looking forward to working alongside you again. Signed, Detective Matayoshi."

"Wow, that sure was nice of him." Kanzashi smiled "He and the TPD must've been trying to catch that hacker for half a year and we were able to stop him before he can rob the bank. I'm glad we were able to stop him before he could do anymore damage."

"And framing other people so he can get away scot-free!" Ling agrees with an angry frown as she pounded her fists "I can't believe that jerk thinks he can just get away with his crimes by placing the blame on other people! I'm glad we got to kick his and Drimogimon's butts and sent his sorry ass behind bars for all the damage he's done." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, we were fortunate enough to have stopped him before he could rob the bank blind." Kyoko also agrees "If we haven't, who knows what he could've done after that. He could escape the country and live a normal life like an everyday person or hides himself somewhere for years and never be found again." Everyone nodded as she looks at her watch. *Well, we can talk over theories later, it's about time we close up for the night. You'll be needing your strength for tomorrow." Everyone nodded and were about to exit the office until their Digivices started ringing.

"That must be Agumon and the others." Ichika said as he checked his Digivice. "That must mean another Digimon must be in trouble. Let's hear what they have to say." Satoru, Houki, Cecilia and Ling all nodded in agreement as they answered their Digivices while Char heard a voice calling out to her.

"Please…help me…" The voice called out.

"Huh? Who's there?" Char asked.

"Agumon, what's the situation?" Ichika asked "Is there another Digimon in trouble?"

"Yeah, we were all able to sense another Digimon needing our help." Agumon answered "We believe they're in Kowloon and we need to head over there to save them." Elecmon, Renamon and Dorumon all nodded in agreement.

"Right, we'll be heading for Kowloon right now." Ichika said with a serious frown. "We'll find the Digimon and save it from whoever or whatever's chasing them." Satoru, Houki, Cecilia and Ling all nodded in agreement as Char stepped forward to them.

"Ichika, let me come with you to Kowloon." Char pleaded. "I just heard a voice calling to me for help. I don't know why, but I believe it's the same Digimon you're going to save." She takes Ichika's hands into hers and holds them firmly. "Please, let me go to Kowloon with you." Ichika was blushing at her holding his hands, but he can also see she was serious about going with them.

"Okay, you win. You can come with us to Kowloon." Ichika said with a soft smile. "Just make sure you stay behind us so you won't get hurt. We don't want you being turned into a sitting duck while we're fighting." Char nodded as they all turned to Kyoko.

"Well, looks like we'll be working overtime." Kyoko said "All of you, head for Kowloon and rescue that Digimon. Just be careful in there, we don't know who or what you'll be dealing with." The five friends all nodded as they entered the TV while everyone else huddled around Twoearle as she turns on Satoru's laptop.

* * *

After our heroes enter cyberspace for ten minutes, they finally arrived at Kowloon. Char looked around in awe and couldn't help but shivered from the place. "So this is Kowloon… I heard bad things about this place and I was right. Is this where you met Agumon and got into your half-digital state, Ichika?"

"Yeah. But let's not waste any time going over the details. We have to save that Digimon. Twoearle, where is it and the one attacking it by the way?"

"Hold on, I'm getting a signal from north of your position." Twoearle typed away and got the signal. "Got it. It is in the second area from your position."

"Thanks, Twoearle. Alright, let's move." Satoru smiled, everyone and their Digimon partners agreed as they entered the second area of Kowloon.

As soon as they entered the area, they heard a frantic squawk as something pink flew into Char and knocked her into the ground. It was a pink bird with arm-like wings, a feather mane, a red beak, blue eyes, blue stripes on its crest, blue borders on two of its head feathers and its tail feathers, yellow legs, and red claws on its wings and feet. It wears a metallic ring on its left leg.

"Owww…" Char mumbled as she lifted herself up and looked at the pink bird Digimon. "You're… the one who is calling for my help." She gasped.

"You got to help me! Airdramon is attacking me!" The bird panicked. Suddenly, a blue and red snake like dragon with a white face and red wings with holes in it flew in and glared at the gang.

"There you are, Biyomon…" Aidramon sneered evilly. "You got a lot of nerve trying to stop me from causing trouble here, but now I got you where I want you. Time to be deleted!"

"Not on our watch! Agumon!" Ichika yelled.

"Agumon, digivolve to… GeoGreymon!"

"Elecmon, digivolve to… Leomon!"

"Renamon, digivolve to… Kyubimon!"

All four Champion Digimon got ready. Airdramon scoffed and "This will be over in a minute! Spinning Needle!" Airdramon flaps his wings and generated a vacuum blade that hit GeoGreymon for medium damage.

"Mega Flare!" GeoGreymon launched his flame attack at Airdramon, but it did little damage.

"Fox Tail Inferno!" Kyubiimon launched her attack at Airdramon who was hit by it for medium damage. Airdramon growled in fury as he dive bombed towards Leomon and rammed into him, knocking him back a little.

"Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon launched his energy fist attack at Airdramon who evaded it, but he was rammed by GeoGreymon.

"Dash Metal!" Dorumon launched his attack at Airdramon, it hit him for little damage,

"Spinning Needle!" Airdramon roared as he launched his attack at the five Digimon heroes again, hitting them for medium damage.

"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon launched her attack at Airdramon, giving him medium damage, but it still wasn't enough.

Char and Biyomon were watching the fight and Char realized her friends need her help. Her eyes showed determination. She looked at Biyomon. "You're Biyomon, right?"

"Y-Yes. Who are you?" Biyomon asked confusedly.

"My name is Charlotte Dunois, but you can call me Char. Listen, Biyomon. My friends need our help and you're the only one who can help them." Char pleaded.

"W-What?!" Biyomon gasped in shock. "But Airdramon is of the Champion level! There's no way I will win against him!"

"Then you need to be at his level, right?" Char smiled softly. "I'm not going to stand by and watch that thing terrorize others for his own amusement. So I'm asking you to be my partner. If we work together, we can stand a chance against Airdramon."

"My… partner?" Biyomon repeated in awe. "Then why are you helping me? We only known each other for a minute."

"It's because we want to protect those dear to us. The man who is fighting Airdramon right now vowed to protect me from my father, so I want to return the favor by protecting him!" Suddenly, Char's Digivice which was a yellow smartphone ringed as she checked her Digivice and saw the Digimon Capture installed into her smartphone. "Okay. Ready to help out, Biyomon?" Char grinned as she pointed her Digivice at Biyomon.

"Ready when you are, Char! I don't know how big a help I can be, but I won't let people do bad things to others!" Biyomon agreed heroically as Char registered Biyomon as her partner. Suddenly, Biyomon started to glow orange and changing shape. "Biyomon, digivolve to….!" Biyomon turned into a giant bird of fire similar to the mythological phoenix. Its body is wreathed almost entirely in orange flames. The only parts that are not are its mouth with protruding teeth and its two feet, each of which has five talons. It has blue eyes and large wings capable of supporting flight. "Birdramon!"

Airdramon noticed Birdramon and gawked. "No way! You digivolved?!"

 **(Run Around from Digimon Adventure 02 plays)**

"Yes. And it's time we settle the score, Airdramon!" Birdramon yelled as she flew towards Airdramon and rammed into him.

"Why you!" Airdramon growled in fury as he yelled out "Spinning Needle!" He launched his attack at Birdramon, but she evaded it with ease.

"Mega Shot!" GeoGreymon launched his attack at Airdramon, giving him medium damage now.

"Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon was next as he launched his attack at Airdramon as well, giving him medium damage.

"Lightning Paw!"

"Fox Tailed Inferno!" Both Digimon launched their attacks at Airdramon, giving him large damage.

"Now it is time we finished this! Meteor Wing!" Birdramon flaps her wings and hurled her feathers like meteors which hit Airdramon for big damage, ending the fight. Airdramon screamed in agony as he was deleted.

After Airdramon was deleted, all five Champion Digimon reverted back to their Rookie forms while Gatomon stayed in her Champion form and returned to their partners as Char and Biyomon were celebrating their victory together and everyone else all smiled at their newfound friendship.

"Biyomon, you were amazing out there!" Char cheered. "You were able to help the others defeat Airdramon! I knew you could do it!" Both her and Biyomon hugged.

"I couldn't have done it without your help, Char." Biyomon smiled "Your words and determination to help your friend was more than enough for me to be your partner and helped me Digivolve." Ichika and Agumon both walked over to them.

"She's right, Char. It's thanks to you helping Biyomon Digivolve that helped us win against Airdramon." Ichika agrees with a smile. "Now that we were able to save Biyomon, our team's becoming stronger." He holds his hand out to her. "Now what do you say we head back to the real world? We could definitely get some sleep after this." Char and Biyomon nodded in agreement as she took his hand and everyone all headed back to the real world.

"By the way, there's something else I've wondering about." Ling figured. "When we all met our Digimon partners, they've all Digivolved into their Champion forms, right? Well, except for Gatomon as she's still in her Champion form." Everyone all nodded in agreement. "And from what Satoru said, he and Dorumon met a month before meeting us. Making him the first member to have a Digimon partner." Everyone nodded again. "So how come we haven't seen Dorumon Digivolve yet?" Everyone all turned to Satoru and Dorumon and realized she was right.

"Now that you mentioned it, you're right. We've never once seen Dorumon Digivolve yet." Houki agrees as she pondered this. "Granted, it's only been two battles they've helped us in but he still hasn't Digivolved. I wonder why is that." Everyone all looked at the duo who sweat dropped and laughed sheepishly.

"I guess we haven't reached that point yet." Satoru answered with a nervous smile. "We haven't been fighting that much like the rest of you, so it never occurred to me to Digivolve Dorumon yet. It just haven't clicked with us just yet." Dorumon nodded in agreement as Ichika walked over to him.

"I'm sure that moment will come sooner than you think." Ichika said with a smile. "Just give it time until you're ready to have Dorumon Digivolve. When it comes, I'm sure you'll both be ready for it." Satoru and Dorumon nodded as he turned to his friends. "But for now, let's head back to the real world. The others are waiting for us and we can't keep them hanging." Everyone all nodded in agreement and continued on towards the terminal to exit Kowloon.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next chapter: IS Girls and Digimon Partners: Part 5 of 7: Laura and Candlemon**

 **A/n: Only three more IS girls are left and the first anime will cross over in the final part of this mini-arc which is Hyperdimension Neptunia. So I apologized if this took longer than expected. Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving and we'll see you next time.**


	7. IS Girls and Digimon Partners 5 of 7

**A/N: Time for another chapter, this time, the fifth part of this mini-arc focus on Laura and her Digimon partner, Candlemon. So here is Chapter 7.**

 **Chapter 7: IS Girls and Digimon Partners: Part 5 of 7: Laura and Candlemon**

* * *

After saving Biyomon from Airdramon and becoming Char's partner, our heroes returned to the real world where their friends were waiting for them to come back. A few moments later, Ichika's group all appeared back in the office.

"Welcome back, guys. Good to see you're all back in one piece." Tatenashi greeted with a grin. "When we saw you guys fighting Airdramon, we thought you were done for since he was flying over you." Her sister and friends all nodded in agreement as Kyoko was sitting at her desk.

"Tell me about it, it was hard trying to fight someone that can fly." Ling agrees with a sigh. "Since our Digimon are rooted to the ground, they couldn't do much against Airdramon who can fly." She then turned to Char and smiled. "But seeing both Char and Biyomon becoming partners, we were able to turn the tables on Airdramon and kick his digital butt back to his motherboard." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Well put there, Ling." Kyoko said with a smile. "But seeing how you took on two flying Digimon so far, that can only mean we're still unaware of what's ahead." She looks at her watch again and sees it's almost midnight. "But we can save that for another day. Time for us to close up shop and head for bed. We can continue this tomorrow." Everyone all nodded in agreement as they exited the office and headed for home as she takes out her keys and locks the door before accompanying Satoru and Twoearle to her car and drove off while Ichika and his friends all took a bus back to the academy.

* * *

 **Back in Kowloon**

* * *

After Airdramon was deleted and Biyomon becoming partners with Char, the same three figures from before were watching the fight from afar and weren't too pleased of the outcome with their minion being deleted and one of the Digimon who opposes them becoming partners with a human.

"I can't believe it, those humans were able to delete Airdramon!" The first male voice growled in anger. "We sent Airdramon down here to cause trouble, but those little runts just had to come in and ruin everything!"

"And not to mentioned Biyomon becoming partners with a human!" The female voice agrees with a scowl. "I can't believe those humans are having more Digimon join them! If they keep this up, then our master's plans will be ruin! Do you think they might know of what we're doing?"

"I highly doubt that. They seem to be oblivious of what's really happening." The second male voice answered "They may have gotten wind of it back at the hospital, but we can let that slide for now. Until the time is right, we won't reveal ourselves unless the master gives us his next order. So we'll just be onlookers from this point until it's time for us to make our move." The two figures nodded in agreement and warped away while he looks down at the pathway. "After all, they say that your worst enemies are closer than they appear." He then warps away.

Not too far from their location, there was a loud stomping sound as two massive Digimon resembling Tyrannosaurus Rexes were patrolling the area. One was a black Tyrannosaurus with green spines trailing down his back and red stripes on his body while the other was a green Tyrannosaurus with two large tusks on his back and both of them were looking for something.

"Dang it, we've lost that little runt." The green Digimon snarled. "I didn't think he'd give us the slip that easily. How can someone so small be so fast?"

"We can worry about that pipsqueak later." The black Digimon said with a frown. "Right now, we need to return to Master and tell her we've lost him. But as long she gets what she wants, we won't have to worry about one little Digimon spoiling her revenge plan." The green Digimon nodded in agreement as they did a 180 and stomped in the opposite direction.

Unknown to them, a small Digimon resembling a living candle peeks out from his hiding spot and breathes a sigh of relief. "Whew, that was a close one. I thought they had me when they stopped." He looks up in the vast cyber sky. "Still, I can't let those two and their master do what they want. It's not right to blame others for something they're not responsible for and make it like they're the real cause for your failure." He stands back up. "I have to find them and stop their master from ruining other people's lives." He starts hopping in the same direction as the two dinosaurs Digimon left.

* * *

The next morning, Char wakes up in her room at the IS Academy after a long night of saving her new partner Biyomon. Just then, her Digivice on her nightstand next to her bed started ringing and she answers it as her partner in question appears onscreen with a smile on her beak.

"Good morning, Char. Did you have a nice sleep?" Biyomon asked.

"Yes, I did. Thank you for asking, Biyomon." Char answered her with a smile. "I was able to get a good night's sleep even though it was already past midnight." She stretches her arms above her and jumps out of bed. "Well, I'd better get ready and head for class. It's time for the midterms to start and I don't want to be late." Biyomon nodded in agreement as she heads for the bathroom and takes off her nightgown.

Char then wraps a towel around her just above her breasts as she enters the bathroom and turns on the shower. She unwraps her towel and enters the shower as she closes the shower door and starts washing herself with shampoo and body wash. Once she was done, she turns off the hot water and exits the shower as she grabs her towel and wraps it around her again to dry off. As she exits the bathroom, she makes her way to her closet and takes out her uniform, bra and panties as she starts getting dressed for the day. Once Char was all dressed, she ties her hair in a short ponytail with her pink ribbon and looks herself in the mirror before nodding. She then grabs her Digivice from the nightstand and exits her room as she starts to make her way to class and meet up with her friends.

* * *

 **Later**

* * *

After meeting up with each other, our heroes all headed for Maya's class to start on their midterms for their graduation coming up in a few months. As the test began, there was a knock on the classroom door and everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to the door as Maya wondered who could it be.

"I wonder who could be visiting during our test?" Maya asked in confusion. "Come in, the door's open!" With her permission, the door slides open to reveal Matayoshi standing just out in the halls. As he makes his way to her, he sees Ichika and the gang and tips his hat at them and they smiled back. "Hello, can I help you?" She couldn't help but blush at the older man standing before her.

"Yes, there's something I need to ask you, ma'm." Matayoshi answered her. "I'm Detective Matayoshi of the Tokyo Police Department and I'm here on an investigation." He reaches into his trench coat and pulls out a notepad and pen. "Now, we've got word from our sources that there's been some unusual activity here at this academy. Being as it's a school for training young women." He looks over to Ichika. "And men, I was wondering if you or any other staff member have noticed anything out of place here?" That made everyone in the classroom worried.

"No, I'm afraid I haven't Detective." Maya answered him. "I can assure you that none of the students here are involved in any kind of unusual behavior. But if we ever do find anything out of the ordinary, we'll let you know."

"I see, thank you for your time." Matayoshi said with a nod. "Again, I apologize for interrupting your class but our line of work waits for no one. Madam. Children. Adieu." He tips his hat and leaves the classroom as our heroes all huddled together.

"What was Detective Matayoshi doing here?" Ling asked in confusion. "I didn't think he'd come all the way to the academy for an investigation. Do you think he could be right about something going on here?"

"It's a possibility, but I can't really say for sure." Twoearle answered her "Matayoshi's the kind of detective who takes his job seriously and won't rest until he finds the answers. If he's here at the academy, then something must be going on and we need to find out." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Let's wait until lunch, we can call Kyoko during that time." Ichika suggested. "We need to tell her that Matayoshi's here at the academy and investigating some strange activity going on. She needs to know what's going on." His friends all nodded in agreement as they continued working on their midterms until lunch arrives.

* * *

 **Later at lunch**

* * *

After finishing the midterms and waiting for the scores to be tallied up, our heroes all met up at the cafeteria as planned and sat together at their table. They've managed to contact Kyoko without anyone noticing and telling her about Matayoshi arriving to the academy for an investigation on unusual activity.

"I see, that could be serious if Matayoshi arrived at the academy…" Kyoko frowned as she scratched her chin in thought. "And if he's there on an investigation for unusual activity, then something must be going on and you all need to find out what."

"But where are we gonna start looking?" Ling asked confusedly. "We can't just go walking around campus like we own the place and asking everyone about those strange activities Matayoshi mentioned. Plus, don't we need a search warrant to have an investigation anywhere?" Everyone all looked at each other and realized she was right.

"You have a point there Ling." Kyoko agrees "Unless we were issued a search warrant, there's nothing we can do right now. We'll have to come up with another plan." Everyone all thought for a few moments until Satoru spoke up.

"Does this calls for another frontal attack Kyoko-nee?" Satoru asked as both Ichika and Twoearle knew what he was talking about while the IS girls were confused.

"It would seems that it does Satoru." Kyoko answered him with a nod. "But just to be sure, I'll look into these strange activities going on at your school. The rest of you just keep doing your usual routine and see what I can find. I'll let you know if anything changes." Everyone nodded as she ends the call and starts searching on her computer.

"So what are we going to do now?" Tatenashi asked her friends. "If we can't ask around if anyone as seen anything strange, how are we going to know who's the real culprit?"

"It's just as Kyoko said, we'll have to keep going through our day like normal." Houki answered her. "Until she finds something, we can't do much right now. We'll just have to wait and see until she calls us again and tells us about what she found." Her friends all nodded in agreement and continued discussing about what to do next.

Unknown to them, another student was sitting across from them and glaring from her laptop on the table. "Look at them, those little idiots. They think they're all that, but they're in for a big surprise once I'm done here." She glances back to her screen as the same two Digimon appeared. "DarkTyrannomon and Tuskmon, I want you two to head inside the school's network and sabotage everything. We're going to show those losers what happens when they mess with me. I'll be meeting with you two later."

"Leave this to us Master Izami." DarkTyrannomon said darkly. "We'll give these idiot humans a scare of a lifetime that they won't know what hit them! We'll show them teach them a lesson to never mess with our master!" Tuskmon nodded in agreement as they disappeared from her screen.

"Just you and your friends wait, Ichika." Izami said darkly with an evil smirk. "I'll show you that men are never meant to pilot an IS and women are the superior ones in every category!" She folds up her laptop and leaves the cafeteria without the other students knowing while glaring at Ichika and the others.

* * *

 **With Agumon and the other Digimon**

* * *

"Whoa, what was that all about?" Agumon asked in shock. "I felt like this intense glare on my spine and it felt like someone was staring into my soul." He then turns to his fellow Digimon. "What about you guys? Have any of you felt that stare too?"

"Yes, we've felt it as you did Agumon." Renamon answered him with a nod. "From what I can say, that glare was filled with hatred and anger towards our partners. Whoever this person is, he or she may have a grudge on them for one reason or another."

"But why would this person have a grudge on our partners?" Biyomon asked in concern. "It doesn't make any sense to hate them for something they don't even know about. There must be some reason why this person hates them." Everyone thinks for a minute until Dorumon spoke up.

"In any case, we'd better be ready." Dorumon said with caution "If this person is really serious about getting revenge on our partners, then we have to be there to protect them. We can't let this person unleash all their anger and hatred on our partners, there are other humans here and they could be hurt in the process."

"Then it's settled, we'll have to give it our all." Agumon said with a nod. "We're not going to let any humans get caught in a crossfire, we'll have to find this person as soon as we can!" Elecmon, Gatomon, Renamon, Biyomon and Dorumon all nodded in agreement and headed back to their respected partners.

* * *

Meanwhile at Nakano, Kyoko was searching through her computer on any strange activity happening at the IS Academy. As she continues searching, something else was on her mind about who was doing this and why.

"This doesn't make any sense. Why would someone want to cause trouble at the academy?" Kyoko asked as she pondered this. "There must be some kind of motive that even got Matayoshi's attention, but what? What's the motive for wanting to cause trouble and potentially bringing other students into this?" She cups her chin and thinks for a minute until something jumpstarts her brain. "Hold on, that must be the reason. The suspect must be after Ichika and the others and is willing to drag others into this. I better call Matayoshi and head over to the academy!" She stands up from her desk and grabs her keys as she takes out her cellphone and dials Matayoshi's number.

"Yes, this is Detective Matayoshi." Matayoshi said as he recognized the caller. "Kyo-chan, I see you've called me this time. So what I can help you with?"

"Old man, I need one of your men to look up on someone and meet me at the IS Academy." Kyoko answered with a serious frown. "I have a feeling our suspect may be after my assistants and is about to drag everyone else at the school down with them! We need to stop her before it's too late!"

"Right, I'm on it!" Matayoshi agreed. "I'll have one of my men look up on your person of interest and see what we can find. Once I get the information you needed, I'll meet you back at the academy." Kyoko nodded in agreement as he ends the call and gets to work while she gets into her car and drives off towards the academy.

* * *

Back at the IS Academy, classes has ended for the day and all the students were packing up their stuff. Ichika and the gang were also getting ready to leave the academy and meet up with Kyoko about her findings until the alarm goes off and everyone stopped in their tracks.

"Hey, what's with the alarm going off? Is this a fire drill or something?" Ling asked in alarm.

"I don't think it's a fire drill Ling." Houki answered her with a tensed frown. "If it was, the teachers would've let us know they were doing one today. Something tells me the alarm's going for a different purpose, but what?" Before anyone could answer her, their Digivices started ringing and they answered them while Laura heard something.

"Ahhh!" A voice scream.

"Huh? What was that scream just now? Is someone in trouble?" Laura asked in confusion while looking around.

"Agumon, what's going on? The alarm's going off in the real world and we don't know what's going on." Ichika said with a serious frown. "Is there anything happening in cyberspace?"

"Yeah, we've sensed two Digimon inside your school's network and causing trouble for you and everyone there." Agumon answered "Whoever sent them there must be after you guys and is willing to drag everyone else in with you!"

"But who would want to target us?" Cecilia asked in confusion. "It just doesn't make any sense, we haven't done anything wrong to anyone, I don't think. So who's trying to get our attention by setting off the alarm?"

"We're not sure, but this person definitely has a grudge on all of you and seems to be targeting everyone around you as well." Renamon answered her. "And from what we can tell, they're using this alarm as a warning for you that if none of you comply, the other students and teachers will suffer and it'll be on your heads."

"Then we'd better find this creep and stop him before the others get hurt!" Tatenashi growled as she punched her fists. "We can't let everyone here get hurt because of us, we have to make sure our friends all make it out safely."

"Then let's go and head for the security room." Ichika said "I can use my Connect Jump on one of the computers to enter cyberspace and we'll be able to find those two Digimon and stop them!" Everyone nodded in agreement as they exited the classroom and make a mad dash for the security room.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

Izami was in her room watching everything happening to the academy from her window as everyone were wondering what was going on while she was smiling at their confusion. "That's right, run around like the rats you all are. This'll show all of you what it feels like to be mocked for years because of something that was beyond my control! I'll show them what happens when you mess with me!" She turns to her computer screen as DarkTyrannomon and Tuskmon appears. "So what's the status? Where you two able to cause enough destruction in the network?"

"Yes, we were able to destroy some parts of the network and set off the alarm as you wanted." DarkTyrannomon answered her "We've even closed off all exits to make sure no one gets in or out of the building." Tuskmon nodded in agreement.

"Perfect, now for the second part of my plan." Izami said with an evil grin. "Head for the IS hanger and sabotage all the ISes there. If none of them aren't working, they won't be able to fly or use them for battle practices! They'll be deemed too dangerous and reduce them to scrap metal in no time!" Both DarkTyrannomon and Tuskmon nodded and vanished from her screen. "Soon, they'll all pay for mocking me and turning their backs on me!" She types in her password and enters cyberspace in her avatar.

* * *

 **Back with Ichika and the gang**

* * *

Our heroes have made it to the security room and opens the door to peek inside to see if any guards are around. Once the guards were nowhere to be seen, they've entered the room and make their way to the computers.

"Ok, the coast is clear. The guards are not here." Ichika said as he opened the door. "They must be busy with keeping everyone safe from what's about to happen, so we need to work fast. We can't let everyone get caught into this person's revenge plan on us." Everyone nodded in agreement as he spots a light shining from the computer. "Bingo, there's our way in. I can use my Connect Jump here and we'll be able to stop whoever's trying to reach us." Everyone nodded in agreement as Houki, Satoru, Ling, Char and Cecilia joined him and were about to enter the computer until Laura approached them.

"Wait, let me come with you and everyone Ichika!" Laura interjected. "I heard someone screaming when the alarm was going off and I think there's another Digimon in trouble. I know it sounds strange, but I just have a feeling that there's a Digimon in need of our help."

"That's just like us when we heard our Digimon crying out for help." Houki said as she pondered this. "And if what she said is true, then we'd better save the Digimon being hurt and saving our school." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Okay, you can come with us Laura." Ichika said with a smile. "Just make sure you stay close to us, we don't know what kind of Digimon we're dealing with or how strong they are." Laura nodded and joins them as he turns to Twoearle and the Sarashiki sisters. "Think you three can keep watch here and make sure everyone's still safe?"

"Don't worry, you leave this to us." Twoearle answered as she gave him a thumbs up. "We'll make sure everyone's safe and sound. You guys just worry on finding out who's really behind this and stop them before it's too late." The Sarashiki sisters nodded in agreement as Ichika and the others also nodded and entered the computer and she flips open Satoru's laptop.

Not long after splitting up with Twoearle and the Sarashiki sisters, our heroes entered the computer in the security room and find themselves back in the cyberspace tunnel.

"No matter how many times we've through here, it's still amazing how we're inside a computer." Laura said in awe. "It's almost like we're in a different world that we didn't even knew existed." Her friends all nodded in agreement. "So where are we going to find this person and the two Digimon? They might've moved on to another area in the school."

"Hold on, let me see if Twoearle can find them." Ichika said as he used his communicator to call Twoearle. "Twoearle, we're inside the network. Any luck on finding the Digimon or our culprit yet?"

"Not yet, but I'm getting a faint signal from them." Twoearle answered him. "They might've gone to another area in the school. There should be a connecting pathway to the same area just ahead of you guys." Everyone looked ahead and see the path splits up at a fork.

"Ok, we see the fork ahead of us." Satoru nodded. "We'll head down that path and see if we can find them. And hopefully, the Digimon Laura heard screaming before." Twoearle nodded as he ends the call and they continued on towards the second pathway.

* * *

A few minutes later, our heroes arrived back in Kowloon again and looked around for the culprit or the Digimon.

"So this is where you and Agumon met and your body getting turned into half-digital." Laura said with a serious frown as she looked around. "I've always heard about Kowloon being a place where scumbags and hackers hang around, but to think something like that happening to you during your time here."

"Yeah, that's pretty much how it happened the first time I came to Kowloon." Ichika agrees "But it's also where I met my friends here in person, so it had its fair share of ups and downs. But we can worry about that later, right now we still need to find the person responsible for attacking our school and stop them before everyone else gets hurt." Everyone nodded in agreement as he turns to Agumon. "Agumon, do you and the others still sense any Digimon around here?"

"Yeah, we can definitely sense them nearby." Agumon answered "They're just ahead of us and are probably waiting for us. I can tell they're really strong, so we're in for a really tough fight." The other Digimon all nodded in agreement until they sensed something else. "Hold it, there's another Digimon and he seems to be fighting them. It must be the same one that Laura heard screaming not to long ago."

"Then we'd better head over there and see if we can help!" Satoru said "Who knows what could happen if that Digimon ties to fight those two big ones! We need to make sure he's still in one piece and see if we can help him." Everyone nodded in agreement and headed for the next area to find the hurt Digimon.

"Agumon, you and the others better Digivolve." Ichika suggested. "If these Digimon are as strong as you say, then we'd better be ready for a tough fight ahead." His friends all nodded in agreement as their partners all looked at each and nodded.

"You got it Boss! Agumon, digivolve to… GeoGreymon!"

"Elecmon, digivolve to… Leomon!"

"Renamon, digivolve to… Kyubimon!"

"Biyomon, digivolve to… Birdramon!"

All four of the Digimon digivolved into their Champion forms while Gatomon was already a Champion and Dorumon stayed in his Rookie form.

"Okay, now we're ready for what's ahead." Houki smiled. "We'd better hurry and save that Digimon before him and everyone else back in the real world are hurt." Everyone nodded in agreement and continued on.

* * *

 **With the candle like Digimon…**

* * *

"Augh!" The candle like Digimon screamed as he was knocked into a wall by DarkTyrannomon and Tuskmon. Izami smirked darkly and remarked "So, a weak Digimon like you are planning to stop me from getting my revenge on that boy and his seven girlfriends, right? Don't make me laugh!"

"W-Why…?" The candle like Digimon grunted as he struggled to float. "Why are you so keen on revenge on that boy and his friends?" That made Izami scolded in anger.

"You want to know? Fine, I'll tell you! It happened 2 years ago before EDEN came along. I was considered to be the best IS pilot and everyone thought I were to surpass the legendary IS pilot and teacher of the IS Academy, Chifuyu Orimura. Women are far superior than men and they should have remained in power if EDEN haven't come along. Then… He arrived. Chifuyu-sensei's weak little brother, Ichika. I saw his match with Alcott and I was shocked and angry that a boy was able to pilot a machine meant for women. Not only that, he was attending the same classes I attended to. I hate Ichika Orimura because he is a male. Then on the day after his foolish friends arrived, I challenged him to a fight and mocked him that if he lose to me, everyone will forget about him and I will surpass his sister, that got to him and I was about to finish him off until his foolish friends managed to give him the confidence he needs to beat me! Me, an ace IS pilot! I was about to attack him until Chifuyu-sensei stopped me and grounded me forever, meaning I will no longer pilot an IS ever again. I hated Ichika… I hate his stupid friends… And I hate all men in general! So I got two Digimon to help me with my revenge…" Izami frowned dangerously as she clenched her fists in anger.

"That's your reason for this?!" The candle like Digimon growled as he glared at Izami and her Digimon. "Revenge on that boy just because he is a male?! That's stupid and dishonorable! Men and women are both equal and love each other!"

"Shut up! You'll never understand how I feel, never! Tuskmon! Finish him off!" Izami ordered.

"Yes ma'am! Slamming Tusk!" Just as Tuskmon was about to attack…

"Mega Flame!" GeoGreymon launched his attack at Tuskmon, knocking him back a little.

"What?!" Izami gawked as she turned to see Ichika and his friends and their Digimon partners, three of them have digivolved. "You!"

"Izami?! You're behind this?!" Ichika gasped in shock.

"That's right. And as soon as I defeat you and your friends, I'll dismantle your precious ISes, and my revenge will be completed!" Izami snarled in fury. Laura rushed over to the candle like Digimon and scooped him up.

"You alright?" Laura asked the Digimon in concern as she gave him a Heal Disk.

"Yeah. You must be Ichika's friend, right?" The candle Digimon smiled softly as he felt his wounds healing up faster. "I'm Candlemon. And you are?"

"Laura Bodewig, country of origin: Germany. I have a feeling we are destined to meet." Laura smiled softly as she placed Candlemon down, then glared at Izami. "But first thing's first. We need to deal with a ghost from our past."

"Don't blame us for what happen two years ago, Izami! You let that ego go to your head and that's why you will no longer pilot an IS!" Cecilia growled. "Kyubiimon, get ready!"

"Right!" Kyubiimon nodded as she got ready.

"DarkTyrannomon, Tuskmon! Destroy them all so I will finally get my revenge!" Izami ordered.

"Roger!" Tuskmon and DarkTyrannomon agreed as they got ready. Suddenly, Candlemon got ready to fight and Laura noticed.

"Candlemon! You're too hurt to fight! You can't take on two Champions by yourself! You need a partner and I happen to fit that description!" Candlemon looked at Laura with awe.

"W-What do you mean?" Candlemon asked.

"Unfortunately, I was like Izami, only I worship Chifuyu-sensei and she was my hero. When I ask her what makes her strong, she said her brother is her strength, unfortunately, I misunderstood and started blaming the person who made her strong by thinking he was making Chifuyu weak. But after our fight, I fell in love with him, but I knew that his heart may belong to Char, a friend of mine. So I want to protect Ichika and my friends, even if it may cost me my life." Laura held her chest and closed her eyes and smiled. Suddenly, Laura's Digivice which was a camo like phone ringed and she checked it and discovered that Digimon Capture has been installed. "So please, be my partner, Candlemon!"

"…You're right, I can't do it alone, so I need you to be my partner to help us battle bad guys." Candlemon smiled as Laura registered Candlemon as her partner. Suddenly, Candlemon startled to glow. "Candlemon, digivolve to…!"

 **(Brave Heart Tri plays)**

Candlemon started to change shape and when it stopped, he was now a wizard like human Digimon with his mouth covered by the cape around him. "Wizardmon!"

"Damn it… He digivolved?!" Izami growled in anger. "Destroy them!"

"Fire Blast!" DarkTyrannomon launched a flaming attack at Gatomon who leaped out of the way.

"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon launched her attack at DarkTyrannomon, giving him medium damage.

"Let me help! Electro Squall!" Wizardmon summoned a thundercloud that shoots lightning at Darktyrannomon and Tuskmon, giving them medium damage.

"Why you little! Horn Buster!" Tuskmon growled as he charged towards Wizardmon who waved his cape around and disappeared. Tuskmon stopped and stood there flabbergasted. "H-Huh?! What the…"

Wizardmon appeared behind him and shouted "Thunder Ball!" He launched a ball of energy that got near Tuskmon and exploded near him, giving him bigger damage.

"D-Darn it!" Darktyrannomon growled as he shouted out "Iron Tail!" He lashed his tail at Leomon who was knocked back by the attack.

"Hang on, Leomon! Magical Game!" Wizardmon yelled as he made Leomon invisible, confusing Darktyrannomon.

"Where did he go?!" Darktyrannomon gawked. Suddenly, he heard:

"Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon appeared behind Darktyrannomon and launched his attack at Darktyrannomon, giving him bigger damage.

"Right on! You act like a true German strategist!" Laura smiled as she pumped her fist in the air. Wizardmon gave her a thumbs up as Tuskmon and Darktyrannomon glared at him.

"Now you're gonna get it, punk!" Tuskmon growled, but Wizardmon got ready.

"Magical Game!" Wizardmon then casted dark auras on Tuskmon and Darktyrannomon, confusing them.

Tuskmon sees Wizardmon in place of Darktyrannomon while Darktyrannomon sees Wizardmon in place of Tuskmon. Izami gritted her teeth in anger. "W-What's wrong with you two?!" Suddenly, Tuskmon and Darktyrannomon started attacking each other, trading blows with each other.

"Now's our chance! Meteor Wing!" Birdramon yelled as she launched her attack at Izami's Digimon, damaging them largely.

"Fox Tailed Inferno!" Kyubiimon launched her attack at Izami's Digimon as well, giving the two of them bigger damage.

"Mega Shot!" GeoGreymon launched his attack at Tuskmon and Darktyrannomon, ending the fight. Tuskmon and Darktyrannomon screamed in agony as they were both deleted, and the systems of the IS Academy returned to normal.

Izami stammered in shock as she fell on her butt. "H-How can this be…?" Wizardmon made rope appear and tied up Izami.

Everyone approached her to make sure she doesn't escape while Ichika frowned at her. "It's over, you're beaten once again Izami. It was bad enough when you tried to attack me after I beat you, but also bringing down others in order to get to us was crossing the line! You nearly costed the lives of innocent people because you wanted to get our attention! I'm sorry it had to come to this, but we'll have to turn you in to the police." Everyone nodded in agreement as Izami lowers her head and accepted her defeat without giving any resistance as everyone breathes a sigh of relief and their Digimon partners all reverted back to their Rookie forms.

"Whew, so glad that's over and done with." Houki sighed in relief with a smile. "I was worried we weren't going to make it and stop her in time, but I'm glad we did." She and her friends all turned to Laura and Candlemon and smiled. "Of course if it wasn't for Laura and Candlemon becoming partners, we might've not make it in time and stopped Izami from dismantling the ISes." Everyone nodded in agreement as they watched Laura and Candlemon celebrating their victory.

"You did it, Candlemon! You were incredible out there!" Laura cheered. "We were able to stop Izami and save the school! I'm so proud of you Candlemon!" Both her and Candlemon hugged each other while everyone else smiled.

"I couldn't have done it without your help Laura." Candlemon smiled "It was thanks to your will to protect the person your best friend loves was what helped me Digivolve. You were right when you said you fit the description of being my partner and I couldn't ask for one better than you." Laura smiled back and hugged him even more until their communicators started ringing.

"That must be Twoearle, Tatenashi and Kanzashi." Satoru said with a smile. "That must mean everything's back to normal in the real world. Let's see what they have to say." Everyone nodded as they answered their communicators.

"Guys, you did it! Everyone's free and the school's systems are back to normal!" Twoearle praised. "The alarm just stopped the moment you guys took out DarkTyrannomon and Tuskmon. Also, none of the ISes were destroyed and everyone's safe and sound."

"That's good, I was worried that we were too late but I'm glad we made it in time." Char smiled and her friends all nodded in agreement.

"Not only that, but it looks like that Kyoko and Matayoshi are here as well." Tatenashi said with a grin. "They've arrived on the monorail not too long ago and are waiting for us outside. I have a feeling they came when we told Kyoko about what we thought was going to happen." Everyone all nodded in agreement and looked over to Izami who still had her head down.

"Okay, we'll head back to the real world now and meet you by the monorail." Ichika said with a smile. "Tell Kyoko and Matayoshi that we've got the culprit and we'll hand her over to them." Twoearle and the Sarashiki sisters nodded as they ended the call and our heroes all made their way back to the real world with Izami trailing behind them.

* * *

Back in the real world, all the students and teachers were outside of the academy and wondering what was going on in their school. Just then, Kyoko and the TPD all arrived on the monorail and entered the school grounds.

"Just stay calm, everyone. There's no need to panic." Matayoshi calmed everyone down. "We're from the Tokyo Police Department, you have nothing to worry about. We'll sort all this out and everything will be all right." At that moment, Twoearle and the Sarashiki sisters ran up to them.

"Kyoko! Detective! Over here!" Kanzashi waved. "We got word from Ichika and the others they've caught the culprit and brought the school's systems back in working order. They should be on their way here now." Kyoko and Matayoshi smiled and nodded as Maya walks over to them.

"Girls, what's going on here?" Maya asked in confusion. "Did something happen to Ichika and the others? And what do you mean about them catching the culprit?"

"We can understand you and everyone are confused, but hear us out." Kyoko answered her. "We've got word from Ichika and his friends that someone was tampering with your school's systems and trapping everyone inside. So Ichika and his friends decided to find the culprit and stop them while I had the TPD meet me here." She looks ahead of her to see the people in question walking towards them. *And right on schedule, here they come now." All the students and teachers turned around to see Ichika and the gang walking towards them with Izami trailing behind and still tied up.

"No way, is that Izami? She's the cause of all this?" One student asked in shock.

"I can't believe it! To think she was the person behind everything!" Another student said as she covered her mouth in shock as well. "And I once looked up to her until she decided to cheat two years ago!" All the other students and teachers started talking about her, but she didn't care as she knew it was over for her until they've stopped in front of Kyoko and Matayoshi.

"Kyoko, we've completed our case." Ichika smiled "We were able to stop Izami and save everyone here before they were hurt. It was tough, but we came out victorious and no one was hurt." His friends all nodded in agreement.

"Nicely done, my assistants. You've all pulled through without my help this time." Kyoko said with a smile. "There may be times where I can't always help you, but just know I'll be helping in other ways. Still, I'm glad you all came back in one piece." She then turns to Matayoshi. "Matayoshi, you can take over from here."

"Right then, Kyo-chan. We'll take her back to the mainland and to the station." Matayoshi said with a smile before glaring at Izami. "Izami Shimada, you are under arrest for tampering, endangering innocent lives and acts of genocide. Everything you say can and will be used against you." He turns to his men. "Take her away, boys." The policemen all nodded as one of them walks over to Ling and she hands him the rope and he pulls Izami with him back to the monorail. "Well, our work here is done. Expect your payment later for helping in this case." Everyone smiled and nodded as he tips his hat and leaves with Izami in tow.

"Well done, everyone. You all did great out there." Kyoko smiled "I'll admit, I was a little worried about leave all of you to solve this case on your own but you've all pulled through and solved it together. You should be proud of yourselves."

"But what will happen to Izami now that she's in prison?" Ling wondered.

"Since Izami broke the school rules and the law for her revenge, she will be expelled from the IS Academy." Maya sighed before smiling at Ichika. "I don't know how you and your friends did it, Ichika, but you saved everyone in the IS Academy as well as the ISes. If Izami succeeded in dismantling them, I'm not sure what will happen. Chifuyu will be proud of you." The students and teachers nodded with smiles as Ichika blushed and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "In any case, school is over for today. Be sure to come tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am." Ichika and his friends nodded in agreement as they with Kyoko headed for Nankako. Another job done by Ichika and his friends!

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next chapter: IS Girls and Digimon Partners: Part 6 of 7: Tatenashi and Monodramon**

 **A/n: Happy Thanksgiving, all. Sorry it took so long to write this chapter. Anyway, next chapter will have Tatenashi facing past Phantom Task foes from her past and her meeting and befriending Monodramon who became her partner. So we're getting to the final two parts of this mini-arc, so stay tuned for more updates.**


	8. IS Girls and Digimon Partners 6 of 7

**A/n: Only one more part to go until the anime filler chapters begin. So here is Tatenashi and Monodramon's chapter, and after that, it's the final part with Kanzashi and Palmon and Hyperdimension Neptunia, so here is Chapter 8!**

 **Chapter 8: IS Girls and Digimon Partners: Part 6 of 7: Tatenashi and Monodramon**

* * *

Hours later after stopping Izami and saving their school, our heroes all arrived back at the agency in Nakano and were taking a break. They were glad to have saved their friends and school from Izami getting her revenge, but at the same time also feeling bad for her for going off the deep end and wished they could've helped her before it was too late.

"Ya know, I kinda feel bad for Izami when we fought her..." Ling said while lowering her head despondently. "I know she almost tried to get her revenge on us, but I still wished we could've helped her. I just wished we could've helped her out before she wanted to get revenge on us."

"Maybe, but it was her own fault for going off the deep end." Houki said with an angry frown. "She let her ego go to her head and thought she was unbeatable to the point where she was thought to surpass Chifuyu-sensei. She had her downfall coming when she tried to mess with Ichika's head and tried to attack him from behind after he defeated her until Chifuyu-sensei stepped in." Her friends all nodded in agreement as she sighs and calms down. *Still, I suppose you're right, Ling. We could've helped her and prevented this from happening, but I suppose it couldn't be helped."

"Perhaps, but we can't change what had happened." Kyoko stepped in with a frown. "Izami made her choice by getting her revenge on you for stopping her rise to fame and wants to take it out on you. We'll just have to live with the fact that she's behind bars and will be there for a long time." Everyone nodded in agreement as she decided to cheer everyone up. *But let's not think about that, let's focus on more positive things. How about I make some coffee for everyone?" That made everyone gasped in terror.

"No thank you, Kyoko! We're good!" Ichika panicked. "There's no need to make us some coffee, we don't want to die-I mean, drink it all up! Right, guys?" Everyone nodded in agreement while sweating bullets.

"Oh, are you all sure about that?" Kyoko asked as she scratched her chin. "I'm sure I could make some more, if you guys want."

"Don't worry, we're just peachy keen, Kyoko." Houki answered with a nervous smile. "We don't want to come between you and your favorite coffee break. We'll just head for the arcade and be far away from the coffee as possible." Suddenly, everyone all ran out of the office while leaving a dust cloud in their wake.

"Huh, I thought they would've wanted some to calm their nerves." Kyoko said before shrugging. "Oh well, can't really win them all, I suppose. I'll just have some for myself then." She walks over to the coffee maker and turns it on to make some coffee.

* * *

 **With Ichika and the gang**

* * *

"Whew, that was a close one." Ling sighed in relief. "I thought we weren't going to make it when she decided to make some coffee. There's no way in hell I'm going through that again." Her friends all nodded in agreement.

"Still, I'm sure she was just wanting us to calm down after what happened back at the academy." Ichika said with a smile. "She was just worried and we should thank her later for helping us when we needed it." Everyone nodded in agreement. "And since we're out of the office, let's head for the arcade. I've been wanting a rematch with Satoru for a while and this is the perfect opportunity for it."

"We'll see about that, Ichika." Satoru said with a smirk. "I won basically every round in the arcade, so are you sure you're ready for another beatdown? You had better prepare yourself because I'm not planning losing my winning streak."

"Don't worry, I've been prancing for the last week now." Ichika said as he gave him a thumbs up. "You may have won that round last week, but I'm more than ready for your next surprise. And by the end of this week, you'll be treating me to ice cream!" Both boys glared sparks at each other as a fiery aura appears around them and they raced to the arcade on the fourth floor.

"Wow, those two sure are fired up today." Kanzashi said with a smile. "Ichika must've been wanting to have a rematch with Satoru-kun for a week now. They were so fired up, I can still feel the heat from them even after they went to the fourth floor."

"Well, boys will be boys." Twoearle smiled "Let's just leave them to their fun and we can have some time for ourselves." She looks at her friends. "So, anyone feel like for some shopping? You guys should really check out the stores here and see what they've got to offer." The IS girls all nodded as they walked around Nakano for some shopping with the boys were having their rematch.

* * *

Meanwhile in an unknown part of Kowloon, two men were walking down the pathway and seems to be searching for something or someone as they looked around their location. The men stopped for a moment and sat down to take a break.

"Damnit, not a trace of that blue haired brat or the two runaways." The first man snarled in fury. "We've looked everywhere in this damned cyberspace, but still can't seem to even find her, the traitor or our weapon! Seriously, just where the hell are they"

"One of them should be around here in this general area." The second man answered him. "There's been several rumors going on about a couple of kids stopping a bank from being robbed and even had their own school attacked by their own classmate, but still managed to stop her." The second man looks around their location. "But from what I'm seeing, we're not even getting nowhere fast. How are we going to find that brat or even those two runaways?" As he sat down next to his associate, two shadowy figures were walking towards them.

"Then perhaps we can be of some assistance to your dilemma." The first figure said darkly. "We couldn't help but overhear you two about your problem, so we thought you two could use some help in finding these people.* The figures stepped out of the shadows to reveal two Digimon standing before the men. One resembled an ape with a bone strapped to his back while the other was a humanoid of living fire.

"What the hell?! What are those things?" The first man gawked "They must be some kind of monsters roaming around here!"

"Hold on, where have I seen these before?" The second man asked in wonder. "Are you two perhaps those Digimon programs used by hackers we've heard about?"

"Yes, but I can assure you we're more than just mere programs." The ape Digimon answered "My name is Apemon and this is my associate Meramon. Perhaps we could help you two find these people you're looking for." Meramon just stayed silent while nodding in agreement and crossing his arms.

"Wait, how can we be sure to trust you two?" The first man asked skeptically. "What makes you think that you're telling us the truth about helping us find them? This could all be a trick."

"Believe what you want to believe, human." Apemon sneered. "But if you have a better plan of finding them, I'd like to hear it. And unless one of you know your way around cyberspace, you'll be wandering around until the end of your days." Meramon just nodded in agreement.

"Hmm…you have a point there." The second man agrees "Neither of us are skilled in handling computers, so we'll need some guides to help us out of here." He turns to the two Digimon who were waiting for his answer. "Very well, we'll take up on your offer. Lead us out of this area and help us find them."

"Very well, now follow us." Apemon said with a smug smile. "We'll take you two to Kowloon where many human hackers hang around. If we're lucky, we might run into one of the people you're both looking for." The men nodded as they followed him and Meramon to another part of Kowloon.

Unknown to them, a small dragon Digimon peaks out from his hiding spot and watches the four leave. "Those guys say they're looking for some people, but who? Who are these people they're looking for and what are they going to do to them once those guys finds them." He thinks for a moment before shaking his head. "I have to follow them and find out for myself. I can tell they're up to no good." He steps out from his hiding spot and follows the four behind.

* * *

 **Back at Nakano**

* * *

Not long after splitting up with the girls, Ichika and Satoru were at the arcade on the fourth floor and played Street Fighter V. Ichika was playing as Ken Masters fighting against Satoru's character Guile and the two were evenly matched that even attracted a crowd watching them play. They were on the final round and time was running out as they were on their last inches of the life bar as they now planned out their final moves.

"I gotta say, you sure weren't kidding, Ichika." Satoru said as he showed his game face. "You definitely were practicing this past week and have me in the corner. Remind me to never underestimate you next time."

"Yep, and I've got plenty of surprises in store for you, buddy." Ichika said, showing his game face as well. "You won last time because I left myself open, but I'm not letting that happen again. I'm going to win this time and you'll be the one buying me ice cream!* The boys continued playing the game as the crowd watched them.

The match continued on as the boys made every counter to each other's attacks until it was only a sliver of health left on the bars and less than 20 seconds remaining, it was now or never. Guile tired to attack Ken with his Sonic Hurricane finisher, but Ken was able to jump over the attack and saw an opening as he pulls off a Shinryuken on Guile and wins the game for Ichika.

"Yes! I won! Sorry, Satoru, but you'll be getting me ice cream for next week!" Ichika cheered in victory as the crowd cheered for him.

"Ah man! And I thought I had you there!" Satoru moaned before sighing and smiling. "Oh well, you win some, you lose some." He holds his hand out to Ichika. "Great game, Ichika. You had me backed into a corner and finished me off with that move. Seriously, where did you learn how to do that?"

"You can thank Ling for helping me." Ichika answered with a sheepish grin. "Whenever we finished with a case or school, I asked Ling to help train me for our rematch and she taught me all kinds of combos and counterattacks. I've lost a couple of times by either pulling off my combos too early, leaving myself open or not reacting fast enough. But after a couple of tries, I was able to pull off a win and was ready to challenges you to a rematch. But we both know what happened earlier and I don't need to explain."

"Yeah, Izami tried to get her revenge on you guys for ruining her chances at being the best IS pilot since your sister." Satoru agrees "Still, I can say your training with Ling really payed off and won. Looks like I'll be buying ice cream for the week now." Just then, the boys heard their stomachs growling. "But first, let's get something to eat. All that playing has made me hungry." Ichika nodded in agreement as they left the arcade to have lunch while the crowd went back to their business.

* * *

 **With the girls**

* * *

Around the same time, the girls were on the third floor doing some shopping at a clothes store to browse through some outfits and try them on in the changing room. After finding the outfits to try on, Houki, Char, Cecilia and Ling went to the changing rooms while Laura, Twoearle and the Sarashiki sisters waited.

"I gotta say, you weren't kidding about the stores here, Twoearle." Houki said with a smile. "The stores have all the same items from others, but the cost here is a fraction of other stores so I don't have to worry about breaking my wallet. I'll be coming here again to buy some clothes whenever I can.

"See, I told you guys. It's all part of Nakano's charm." Twoearle said with a smile. "The stores and restaurants here are a lot cheaper than the ones you'd normally go, but still delivers on everything else. That's also the reason why Nakano's so popular around here and it's usually gets busy here during the holidays like Golden Week or Christmas."

"Wow, those are the best times where the stores all start making prices drops." Ling whistled in awe. "And since we work here with Kyoko, that'll make us the first in line for all the best sales." Her friends all nodded in agreement. "Speaking of which, there's something else I'm wondering. Hey Char, when do you plan on telling Ichika how you feel? Are you going to tell him today or some other day?" Her friends all turns to Char as she blushed.

"W-Well, I haven't really thought about when I'm going to tell him yet." Char answered with a stutter. "I want to wait until the right time to tell him how I feel, but not right now. I want to wait until either of us are ready and then I'll tell him how I really feel."

"Then you can count on us to be right behind you, Char." Laura smiled "We'll make sure you and Ichika end up together and support you two all the way, you can count on it." Her friends all nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, everyone. That means a lot to me." Char smiled back "Maybe not today or tomorrow, but one day I'll tell him how I really feel. And I hope you're all there to see it." Her friends all smiled and nodded as they finished with their shopping and payed at the cashier before heading back to the office.

* * *

Back at the office, Kyoko was sitting at her desk while having one of her special coffees and reading a magazine. She was looking through different articles for potential cases from celebrity marriages to finding people being reported missing for a long time and some of them were even considered vanished without a trace. As she turns the page, her cellphone started ringing and she picks it up.

"Matayoshi, again? If he's calling me for a second time, then something must be up." Kyoko mumbled as she answered her phone. "Yes, this is Kyoko Kuremi of the Kuremi Detective Agency. How may I help you?"

"Kyo-chan, thank goodness I was able to reach you." Matayoshi said in relief. "I was worried that something might've happened to you and your assistants, but I'm glad that's not the case."

"What do you mean, Matayoshi? What's going on?" Kyoko asked with a serious frown. "You're making it sound like there's some kind of attack going on."

"Unfortunately, there is an attack going throughout Tokyo." Matayoshi said seriously "We've been getting reports of people being brutally attacked by two men inside EDEN, but it's not related to the EDEN Syndrome. Some of the victims we've interviewed were saying the men were looking for three people and were trying to force information out of people, but none of them knew who the men were talking about. So as punishment for not giving them answers, the men attacked them and now are being treated at the hospital."

"I see, that does sound serious if these men are looking for someone." Kyoko frowned seriously. "If these men are left unchecked, more innocent people will get hurt and there's no telling what they'll do next once they find these people they're looking for. I'll let Ichika and the others know what's going on and we'll handle it from here." Matayoshi nodded and ends the call just as our heroes entered the office.

"Hey Kyoko, we're back from our break." Ling greeted "Sorry we had to run out like that, but we didn't want to die-" Laura elbows her side. "I mean, we had to see what other surprises Nakano had for us." Her friends all nodded in agreement until they've noticed Kyoko was serious. "What's wrong, Kyoko? Is there something bad happening?"

"Unfortunately, there is. I've just got done speaking with Matayoshi and he explained everything to me." Kyoko answered her, still frowning seriously. "Gather around, everyone. It's best if you all know what you're up against." Everyone nodded and walked over to her desk as Tatenashi heard something.

"AUGH!" A voice screamed.

"What the? What was that?" Tatenashi asked in shock. "Was that someone screaming?" She looked around before stopping in front of Kyoko's desk.

"From what Matayoshi told me, there are these two men going around inside EDEN and attacking people." Kyoko said "He said they're looking for three people and are trying to get information out from everyone they meet. But because no one knows who they're talking about, the men just attack them as punishment for not giving them any information and are now in the hospital. For the past hour, more than 40 people are hospitalized and there's no telling who's going to be their next victim."

"What?! I can't believe those guys!" Ling fumed. "They've got some nerve attacking innocent people like that! Who are these jerks trying to find anyway?"

"I'm not to sure myself, but we can't let any more people get hurt." Kyoko answered her. "Their last known location was Kowloon and I'm positive that's the first place you all should investigate."

"Okay, then we'll head for Kowloon now." Ichika said with a serious frown. "If those guys keep searching for these people, then more innocent lives are in danger. We can't let them have their way or else there's no stopping them." Everyone nodded in agreement as their Digivices started ringing and they've answered them. *Agumon, what's up? Is there another Digimon in trouble?"

"Yeah, and this one's in serious trouble, Boss." Agumon answered him. "We were able to sense three Digimon in Kowloon and one of them seems to be fighting the other two. I get the feeling those other two Digimon are with those two guys you were all talking about." The other Digimon all nodded in agreement.

"Got it, we'll be heading to Kowloon now." Ichika nodded. "We'll save the Digimon and stop those men from harming anymore people." He and his friends ends the call and walks over to the TV set until Tatenashi steps forward.

"Wait, let me go with you guys." Tatenashi interjected. "I want to make sure that Digimon's safe from harm. I don't know why, but I've heard a scream and I believe it came from the Digimon that's in trouble. So please, let me come with you."

"That's just like you and the others, Houki." Satoru said as he figured out what's going on. "The Digimon was calling out for help and she's the only one who heard it. That must mean this Digimon's going to be her destined partner." Everyone all nodded in agreement.

"Okay, you can come with us, Tatenshi." Ichika agreed. "But make sure you stay close to us, there's no telling what these men or those Digimon can do. We don't want you getting hurt and making Kanzashi worried." Tatenashi nodded as he extends his hand to the TV screen and activated his Connect Jump and everyone entered into cyberspace as Twoearle and Kanzashi stayed behind and turns on Satoru's laptop.

* * *

 **(Meanwhile… in Kowloon.)**

* * *

"For the last time, you Digimon runt, where is Katana Sarashiki and those two runaways?!" The first man growled as Apemon held the dragon Digimon up by the throat.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about! Even if I did, I will never tell you since you attacked those innocent humans!" The dragon Digimon growled.

"Tch." Apemon sneered. "This little one doesn't know about the people you're looking for. I'll delete him right here and now." Just as Apemon was about to finish the dragon Digimon off.

"Mega Flame!" GeoGreymon's attack hit Apemon, letting the dragon Digimon guy as Tatenashi rushed up and picked him up.

"Whew! Talk about a close one!" Tatenashi sighed before smiling at the dragon Digimon. "You alright there, little guy?"

"Yeah." The dragon Digimon smiled. "I'm Monodramon by the way. Who are you?"

"I'm-"

"Katana Sarashiki… We knew you'll come here." The first man sneered evilly.

Tatenashi tensed as she glared at the two men. "How did you know that name? Wait…" Tatenashi's eyes widen in shock as she recognized the symbols on the men's clothes. "You're from Phantom Task, are you?!"

"Phantom Task?!" Satoru gasped in shock. "Isn't that the same terrorist organization that used stolen ISes to commit crimes around the world?"

"How right you are, little boy." The first Phantom Task agent grinned evilly. "Now that we found the enemy of the Phantom Task organization, we'll finish her off and then look for those two runaways."

"Two runaways?" Kyubiimon frowned as she got ready.

"That's none of your concern, foxy! Now Apemon and Meramon, get ready!" The second Phantom Task agent ordered as the two Digimon in question got ready to brawl.

"Alright, there's two of them and we should be able to take them on." Ichika said as he got GeoGreymon ready for battle.

"So M's little brother is about to die huh? I heard rumors of some kid solving crimes in cyber-space. Never thought it would be the little brother of M." The first Phantom Task agent sneered. Ichika grunted as he glared at the two agents.

Tatenashi glared at the two agents and their Digimon before turning to Monodramon. "Hey, Monodramon. Listen. I need your help to deal with those two jerks and their Digimon partners. As you can tell, I have a history with the group they're working for. My family has been fighting them for years before EDEN came along. So I need you to help me. I know we just met, but please, be my partner."

"Those Phantom Task jerks sound like bad news…" Monodramon frowned seriously as he looked at Tatenashi before nodding in agreement. "You're right! We can't let then get away with this!" Suddenly, Tatenashi's Digivice which was a blue phone beeped and she checked it to see that the Digimon Capture has been installed.

"Just in time. Alright, Monodramon. Time to kick some tail!" Tatenashi grinned as she registered Monodramon as her partner. Monodramon stood up and glared at the Phantom Task agents. He started to glow.

"Monodramon, digivolve to…!" Suddenly, Monodramon grew in size until he was a humanoid dragon man with a symbol on his chest, metal armor on its arms and legs, green pants and a helmet covering his eyes. He pounded his fists together and yelled out "Strikedramon!" He then roared.

"W-What the hell?!" The Phantom Task agent gawked. "That runt changed shape!"

"That, is digivolving. To think that girl can help Monodramon digivolve." Apemon frowned seriously before he yelled out "Bone Stick!" He lashed his bone club at Strikedramon who swiftly evaded it with ease. Strikedramon threw a punch at Apemon, giving him medium damage.

Meramon glared at GeoGreymon before yelling out "Fireball!" He threw fireballs at GeoGreymon who was hit for medium damage.

"Horn Impluse!" GeoGreymon rammed into Meramon, giving him bigger damage. "Mega Shot!" He breathed out fireballs at Meramon, but to his shock, Meramon absorbed it. "What?!"

"I get it." Dorumon tensed. "Meramon is a flame typed Digimon and any flame attack that hits him, he absorbs it. GeoGreymon, we have to think up a strategy to beat him!" Meramon threw a punch at Dorumon, but he leaped out of the way and slashed him.

"Angry Spike!" Apemon yelled as he threw a punch at Strikedramon who ducked and gave him an uppercut.

"Alright, Strikedramon! That's the way to do it!" Tatenashi cheered as she punched the air in excitement. Strikedramon then rammed into Apemon and lashed rapidly at him, giving him bigger damage.

"Fist of the Beast King!"

"Lightning Paw!" Both Leomon and Gatomon launched their attacks at Meramon, giving him medium damage.

"Magical Game!" Wizardmon launched icicles at Meramon, who was hit by them. He screamed in agony as he was hit by them. Meramon growled in fury as he charged towards Wizardmon.

"Fire Fist!" He launched a flaming punch at Wizardmon, but the attack was blocked by Birdramon who took the hit for Wizardmon.

"Strike Claw!" Strikedramon roared as he lashed his claws at Apemon who was hit by them.

"Magical Monkey Punch!" Apemon yelled as he threw a punch at Strikedramon who was hit by it, knocking him back.

Strikedramon growled as he rammed into Apemon, knocking him towards Meramon who was about to attack GeoGreymon. Strikedramon knew it was time to end this as he yelled out "Strike Fang!" All portions of the Metal Plate on Strikedramon began to burn red hot that Strikedramon's body becomes a mass of flames that rushed towards Apemon and Meramon, hitting them for large damage and ending the fight. Apemon and Meramon roared in agony as they were deleted.

"Damn it… They lost?!" The first Phantom Task agent gritted his teeth in anger.

"But we got the data we need on Digimon. M would like to see this. We'll deal with Katana and those two runaways another day. For now, retreat!" The second Phantom Task agent frowned as he and his cohort logged out.

"Damn, they've managed to get away from us!" Laura growled in fury. "To think they've had the nerve to show themselves again after two years, what could they want with the two runaways? Who are the runaways anyway?"

"We can worry about that later, Laura." Ichika answered her as she calmed her down. "Right now, we should be glad we stopped them before any more people were injured." Everyone nodded in agreement as the six Champion Digimon reverted back to their Rookie forms while Gatomon stayed in her Champion as both Tatenashi and Monodramon celebrated their victory together.

"Mondramon, you were awesome out there!" Tatenashi cheered. "I was worried we weren't going to make it to you, but I'm glad we did. Thank you for helping me dealing with those jerks before they could hurt anyone else."

"But I've couldn't had helped you without you helping me, Tatenashi." Monodramon smiled "If it wasn't for you becoming my partner, I might've been deleted by Apemon for sure. I'm glad to have found someone like you to be my partner." Tatenashi smiled back as she hugged him tightly and he hugged her back with everyone watching and smiling.

"Well then, I'd say this case is done." Ichika smiled "Let's head back to the office in the real world and report to Kyoko. I'm sure she and Detective Matayoshi would want to hear we've stopped them." Everyone nodded in agreement as they make their way back to the real world.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

Elsewhere in another part of Kowloon, a woman, a young boy and a Digimon resembling a bear cub were panting heavily after running for so long. The woman looked about at least in her mid 20s with shoulder length emerald green hair and eyes while also wearing a blue shirt, black pants and a blue hairband on her head. The boy next to her was around the same age as Ichika and the others with dark brown hair, green eyes and had a watch like device on his wrist. And finally, the bear cud Digimon had a blue baseball cap turned backwards with his ears sticking out, black fur, blue straps on his arms and around his shoulder.

"Okay, we should be safe here for now." The woman panted as she looked at where she and her group ran from. "Those two won't be able to find us here, now we can rest until we reach the lab." She turns to the boy holding onto her waist. *Just hang in there a little while longer, we're almost home free."

"But what if they managed to find us before we make it to the lab?" The boy asked in worry. "I don't want to go back to that place again! I don't want to be a weapon!" He holds onto the woman tightly while tears were coming down from his eyes.

"Don't worry, you can leave those bullies to me!" The bear Digimon said "I'll make sure none of them get close to you or your mom! I'll protect you two as long as you believe in me.* He turns to the boy and smiled. *After all, you're my partner and I won't let any bad people near you."

"Bearmon's right, we just have to believe in him." The woman agrees "You two became partners for a reason and I'm sure you'll be strong alongside him. You just have to believe in yourself and in Bearmon and I just know you two will be strong together." The boy calms down a little and wipes his tears as he nodded in agreement. "But right now, let's take a break. We still have a long ways to go before reaching the lab." The boy and Bearmon nodded in agreement as they rested with their Digimon friend standing guard.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next chapter: IS Girls and Digimon Partners: Part 7 of 7: Kanzashi and Palmon, Enter the CPUs!**

 **A/N: Well, we're getting to the last part of this mini-arc. Anyway, Kanzashi will befriend Palmon after fighting an Ultimate level Digimon and the final scene of this next chapter will be based on a scene from Final Fantasy X-2: Depend on You, an old fanfic of mine. So we'll see you Monday!**


	9. IS Girls and Digimon Partners 7 of 7

**A/n: Well, we're in the last part of this mini-arc. This final part will focus on Kanazashi and Palmon who will become partners to each other. And at the end of this chapter, Hyperdimension Neptunia will appear in a scene similar to FFX-2: Depend on You, an old fanfic of mine which I hope I will finish one day. So here is Chapter 9. And after this chapter, it's the three anime filler chapters.**

 **Chapter 9: IS Girls and Digimon Partners: Part 7 of 7: Kanzashi and Palmon, Enter the CPUS!**

* * *

After deleting both Apemon and Meramon and saving Monodramon, out heroes returned to the real world with a new Digimon friend in tow, making their team nearly complete. Upon arriving back in the agency, there was Matayoshi talking with Kyoko and waiting for them to return.

"Hey Kyoko, we're back." Ling greeted "We've managed to stop the jerks from harming more people and everyone is safe." Her friends all nodded in agreement until they noticed Matayoshi in the room. *Huh? Detective? When did you get here?"

"I've just arrived here ten minutes ago." Matayoshi answered her as he tipped his hat. "I've figured since you kids helped us with the last two arrests, I could come over in case that happened again." He looks around for their suspects. "So where are the ones responsible for the crime? You were able to stop them, right?"

"We did, but they've managed to escape before we could capture them." Houki answered him with a frown. "After we've deleted their partners, they've logged out from Kowloon before we could do anything to them. We've also found out they were from Phantom Task." Kyoko, Matayoshi and Kanzashi all gasped in shock while Twoearle was confused. Tatenashi was silent as she clenched her fists, still wanting to settle the score with a certain member of the Phantom Task organization.

"Phantom Task? They were behind those attacks?" Kanzashi asked as her sister and friends all nodded.

"Yeah, it was them, all right." Ichika answered her with a frown. "They were attacking innocent people to find three people. One of them was Tatenashi and two others who they say are runaways. We don't know who they are, but I can say it's something serious if they came all the way out here to look for them."

"I see, that could be troubling if Phantom Task are out in our neck of the woods..." Kyoko frowned as she scratched her chin. "And if they're searching for Tatenashi and these runaways, this could be serious if we cross paths with them again."

"Indeed, so we need to be on high alert." Matayoshi agrees "I'll head back to the station and send a word out to keep an eye open for Phantom Task. If those no good terrorists think they can attack innocent people and get away with it, they've got another thing coming to them."

"Thank you, we really appreciate your assistance, Matayoshi." Kyoko said in gratitude. "If there's anything we can do to help, let us know." Matayoshi nodded and tipped his hat as he leaves the office and heads back to the station as she turns to our heroes. "And while he sends the word out, we can rest for now. Our work is done and it's about closing time, so we can call it in for the night." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it's about time we head for home ourselves." Houki agrees "And since it's Sunday tomorrow, we can hang out together and get to know our Digimon friends better. That way, we'll be much closer to them and maybe find a way for them to come into the real world." Everyone smiled and nodded in agreement.

"You all go on ahead without me." Kyoko said with a smile. "I still need to finish up on some paperwork and some other things. You all get some rest and have fun tomorrow." Everyone nodded and left the agency, but not before Satoru looks back at her before continuing on with his friends.

* * *

Not long after leaving Nakano, our heroes were riding the bus back home while Kyoko takes care of some other businesses. As they were riding the bus, Char, Kanzashi, Ling, Twoearle and Cecilia were asleep while Ichika, Satoru, Houki, Laura and Tatenashi were still awake and talking with each other. Char was leaning on Ichika's shoulder, Twoearle was leaning on Satoru's shoulder and Kanzashi was leaning on Tatenashi's shoulder.

"Man, who would've guessed that Phantom Task would show themselves here..." Tatenashi frowned seriously as she looked at the moon. "To think they'd come all the way out here to find me and two others who are on the run from them. I wonder who are these two runaways they've mentioned before they escaped?"

"If I had to guess, they're probably people who used to work for Phantom Task, but decided to rebel against them." Satoru answered her as he scratched his chin. "If that's the case, we'd better find them before those Phantom Task lowlifes do." His friends all nodded in agreement. "But there's one other thing I don't understand, why would Phantom Task reveal themselves now? Haven't you guys stopped them last time?"

"We did, and thought we've seen the last of them." Laura answered him as she too pondered this. "I guess they must've quiet down for some time before showing up not too long ago. And if they've showed up now, then that could only mean they're up to something and we need to be ready for it." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"But before we do, there's something else I've been wondering about." Satoru wondered as he looked at Tatenashi. "When we met those two Phantom Task jerks, why did they call Tatenashi "Katana?" Isn't her name Tatenashi?" Everyone all looked at their friend in question as she sighs.

"Not exactly, it's something that's been part of our family for generations." Tatenashi answered him sadly. "Tatenashi is a name the eldest sibling of the family is to have as it's part of the tradition. My real name is Katana and I'm the current head of my family. You remember when I told Monodramon about how my family's been fighting against Phantom Task for years?" Her friends all nodded. "I really meant it, our family's been fighting Phantom Task for generations and I don't know how long it'll last. But now that they're back, I can only guess they're out for revenge and won't stop until they destroy us."

"Wow, I had no idea your family's been fighting against Phantom Task for years…" Houki murmured in amazement and sadness. "And here I thought you were making that up, but you sure sound serious. Sorry if I said anything offensive to you."

"It's all right, I know you didn't mean it, Houki." Tatenashi said with a small smile. "But yeah, that's the whole truth about me. Our family's been fighting them for years, but we had to keep it a secret to the public to make sure no one's hurt. But now that they've shown themselves again, this could be one of our hardest battles yet."

"Maybe, but that hasn't stopped us before." Ichika said with a nod before frowning. "We may have stopped them before, but I'm sure we can do it again. We're a lot more stronger than before, so we can help you deal with Phantom Task. You won't have to fight them alone because you have us now. We'll be there for you and we'll be able to stop them for good." His friends all nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, everyone. That means a lot to me." Tatenashi smiled as she closed her eyes as a tear fell out of her left eye. "For a long time, it's been only my family fighting against Phantom Task and making sure everyone's safe. But after meeting all of you, I know we can win against them and stop their plans to steal the IS and commit crimes for good." Everyone nodded in agreement as the bus stops at bus stop and Satoru knew the location.

"Well, this is our stop. Time for us to go." Satoru said with a smile. "There's a lot more things I want to know about you guys, so we can save it for tomorrow." Everyone nodded as he turns to wake up Twoearle. "Twoearle, wake up. We're back home." He gently shook her by her shoulder until she opens her eyes and he turns to his friends. "Okay, we'll be going now. See you guys tomorrow." Everyone nodded and waved as he and Twoearle exited the bus and they continued on.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

In another part of Kowloon, a massive Digimon resembling a minotaur was stomping around. He stops in his tracks and looks around for something or someone, but couldn't find it anywhere.

"Dang, I can't believe that little weed gave me the slip!" The Minotaur Digimon growled in fury. "How can something so small be so fast?" He shakes his head and turns around. "Whatever, no puny, little runt can stop me anyway. It'll take much more than some little weed to stop me." He then starts walking away to parts unknown.

As the minotaur Digimon left the area, a small plant Digimon peeks out from her hiding spot and sighs in relief. "Whew, that was a close one. It's a good that he's all brawn and no brains, but is still dangerous if left unchecked." She sits down on the floor. "Still, I can't let him cause so much destruction for his entertainment. The humans here need this place to interact with each other and he needs to be stopped." She stands back up and follows the same path the minotaur Digimon took and tries to stop him.

* * *

Not long after riding the bus, our heroes were dropped off at their respected stops and headed home for a good night sleep. Ichika was next to be dropped off at a bus stop just a couple of blocks from his house while the IS girls continued on and were later dropped off at the monorail station. After hoping off the bus and riding the monorail to the IS Academy, the IS girls all went their separate ways to their rooms and headed for bed for their weekend tomorrow.

As Kanzashi and Cecilia entered their room, the two girls headed for the closet to put on their nightgowns and headed for bed. Cecilia turns off the lights as she and Kanzashi said goodnight to each other and went to sleep. After a few minutes of sleeping, Kanzashi started tossing and turning in her bed while sweating and griping her sheets.

* * *

 **In Kanzashi's dreams**

* * *

"Huh? Where am I?" Kanzashi asked in confusion as she got up. "I thought I was still in my room. How did I get here?" She looks around her surroundings, only to find herself in a dark area with fog everywhere. "What's with this fog? I can't even see my hand in front of me." As she looks around, she heard a loud stomping as a shadowy figure emerges from the darkness. *Wait? What is that?" Before she got her answer, the massive shadow attacks and a smaller shadow comes flying towards her.

"AHHHH!" The shadow screamed before crashing in front of Kanzashi.

"Hey, are you all right?" Kanzashi asked in concern. "What happened to you?" The figure looks up at her and reaches out it arms to her.

"Please…help me…" Was all the figure could say as the massive towers over them before raising its fist over them and slams it down on them.

 **Dream ends**

Kanzashi wakes up with a gasp and wipes off some sweat from her forehead. "What was that? Was that a dream? But it felt so real..." She turns to her left to see Cecilia still sleeping in her bed and breathes a sigh of relief. "Good thing I didn't wake up Cecilia, she would get cranky if she doesn't get her sleep. Oh well, I'll tell everyone about this in the morning." She lays her head back on her pillow and goes back to sleep.

* * *

 **The next morning**

* * *

It was Sunday as the weekend started and our heroes got ready to spend the day with each other. Instead of their uniforms, they wore casual clothes and met up on the bus as they rode back to Nakano to hang out with each other.

"Whew, I slept like a log last night." Twoearle stretched her arms. "Sure is nice to wake up refreshed in the morning and ready to take on the world. The bed sure was comfortable to sleep in."

"Maybe that's because you slept in my bed, Twoearle." Satoru sweat dropped. "You snuck into my room and crawled onto my bed. I can still feel you holding me tight and breathing down my neck." Everyone couldn't help but blush from him saying that.

"Come on, it's not like you didn't like it, Satoru-kun." Twoearle smiled a bit pervertedly. "Besides, you looked so cute when you're sleeping in my chest through the night. Tell you what, from now on, only you are the only one who can use my chest in whatever you like." This time, it was his turn to blush while everyone else were watching them.

"Wow, I didn't think that Twoearle would let him do that to her." Tatenashi muttered in awe. "I guess she likes him so much that she doesn't mind let him do that with her." Her sister and friends all nodded in agreement as she turns to Ichika. "Hey, Ichika, since you knew them longer than us, how close do you think they are?"

"I'd say they're really close since they've been together for a month." Ichika answered her. "From what I can tell, they've met a month ago and that's around the same time where he and Dorumon became partners. They never went into full detail, but I don't want to pressure them into telling me. I'll wait for them until they're ready to talk about it."

"That's probably the best idea." Houki agrees "When we asked Twoearle about where she came from and everything, she said that she needed more time to tell us. Seeing as how she didn't want to talk about it, we've decided not to pressure her and let her tells us when she's ready." Her friends all nodded in agreement as they continued riding the bus to Nakano.

* * *

After an hour of riding on the bus, our heroes arrived at Nakano and hopped off the bus. They entered the entrance to Nakano and made their way to the agency on the first floor to meet with Kyoko and see if there any cases for the day. As they make their way down the hall, they see a familiar face they haven't seen in a week as she turns to them and smiles.

"Mirei?!" Everyone gasped in surprise.

"Why hello again, Cyber Sleuths." Mirei greeted "A nice day to spend the weekend with each other. I trust that everything's well for you and your Digimon friends?"

"Wait, where did you come from, Mirei?" Ling asked while raising an eyebrow. "And where have you been all this time? We haven't even seen you since our first day here in Nakano."

"I was in the DigiLab working on a new project." Mirei answered her. "It took me a week to get this working properly, but I've managed to get it done and I needed to see all of you again." She holds her hand out to them. "Now, may I please see your Digivices?" Ichika and his friends looked at each other for a moment before nodding and handing their Digivices to here. "Thank you, I'll be right back in a moment." She enters her shop and starts working on the Digivices.

"I wonder what could she want with our Digivices?" Cecilia asked in wonder. "She said that she was working on something important and waited for us here. I wonder why she needs our Digivices?"

"It must be something important if she was eating for us." Houki answered her. "And if she was waiting for us here and asked for our Digivices, We'll just have to wait and see until she comes back with our Digivoces." Everyone nodded in agreement as they waited for Mirei.

A few minutes later, Mirei walks out from her shop with the Digivices in hand. She hands back each of the Digivices back to our heroes as she said. "Here you are, everything's all set and ready for use. I'm certain you'll love the new feature I've installed into your Digivices."

"Feature? What kind of feature did you installed to our Digivices?" Char asked in confusion.

"It's a little something that many Digidestineds before you all have done, bringing their Digimon partners into the real world." Mirei answered her "Since almost all of you have Digimon partners, I thought you might want to interact with them physically instead of just in cyberspace." Everyone started to get excited about meeting their Digimon friends in person.

"Wow, this is incredible! I just can't believe it!" Ichika beamed. "We're really gonna meet our Digimon friends in person!" He turns to his Digivice and contracts Agumon. "Hey Agumon, did you and the others heard that?"

"Yep, we all heard it, Boss." Agumon answered "And we just can't wait to hang out with all of you guys." The other Digimon all nodded in agreement as both Kanzashi and Twoerle were the only ones without Digimon.

"Wait, what about us? We don't even have Digimon yet." Twoearle interjected. "Me and Kanzashi don't even have Digimon, so how's that even fair?" Kanzashi nodded in agreement as everyone realized she was right.

"Not to worry, I was able to foresee that problem and made some adjustments." Mirei answered her with a smile. "Now you all remember when all of you registered your Digimon with your Digivices?" Everyone nodded. "Well, that's where this feature comes in. From the moment you've used your Digivice to register a Digimon as your partner, the feature I've added to your Digivices will automatically install itself and ready to be used. That way, it'll be ready and your partner will appear in the real world."

"But how are we supposed to bring our Digimon into the real world?" Laura asked "Is there like some kind of password or command we need to do?"

"Not exactly, it's really quite simple." Mirei answered her with a smile. "All you need to do is hold out your Digivices in front of you and say "Realize". And once you do that, your Digimon friends will manifest into the real world."

"Wow, thank you again, Mirei. We really appreciate your help." Ichika said in gratitude. "We'll be sure to put your gift to good use, thanks for everything." Mirei smiled and nodded as he and his friends continued to the agency and entered the office.

* * *

Not long after meeting with Mirei again and receiving a new feature from her, our heroes entered the office to find Kyoko and see if there were any cases for them. Upon entering the office, Ichika and his friends noticed that Kyoko wasn't at her desk and there were no cases on the whiteboard on the wall.

"Huh? Where did Kyoko go?" Tatenashi asked in confusion. "I thought she'd be here waiting for us with another case. I wonder where she went?"

"Do you think she could be stuck in traffic?" Cecilia asked. "It's Sunday and the traffic getting here to Nakano was bad, but is was still early in the morning. Maybe she got stuck in the early afternoon traffic on the way?"

"Maybe, but I'm not too sure about that." Satoru answered her as he deduced a theory. "If she was caught in traffic, she would've called to let us know she was going to be late. There must be some other reason why she's not here yet." As everyone thought for a moment, Ling saw something on the desk.

"Hey guys, there's something on Kyoko's desk!" Ling shouted as she pointed to the envelop. "There's a letter and envelop there!" Everyone turned towards the desk and saw she was right.

"Hey, you're right, Ling. There is a letter and envelope on her desk." Houki agrees as she looked at the envelop. "She must've stepped out and left the letter for us to find. But who sent the envelope? Could it be Matayoshi?"

"Only one way to find out, let's read the letter and see what she has to say." Ichika answered as he takes the letter from the desk and opens it as he begins to read it.

"Everyone, if you're reading this letter, then I'm not in my office. I had to step out to deal with some important business with Matayoshi. He wanted me to help him on a case so I had to step out of the office and won't be back until later. Also, there's no cases for the day so you all can do whatever you want. As for the envelope you see on my desk, that's the payment Matayoshi sent to us for helping him in arresting Izami and said to use it however you wish. It'll probably take me some time until this case is finished, so make sure to keep the office clean when I return. Signed, Kyoko." Everyone turned to Ling as she opens the envelope and pulls out 50,000 Yen.

"Holy crap, she wasn't kidding about the payment." Ling gasped in awe. "There's 50,000 Yen in the envelope for us." She turns to her friends. "So what do you guys think we should do with the money Matayoshi sent us?" Everyone all started thinking for a moment.

"Not sure, I can't really think of anything to do with the money right now." Ichika answered her as he started to think. "Maybe we could save it for later until we could use it for something in the future. I'm sure it'll come to us sooner or later." Everyone nodded in agreement until their Digivices started ringing and they've answered. "Agumon, what's wrong? Is there another Digimon in trouble?"

"Oh yeah, and it's a big one, Boss." Agumon answered him. "We've sensed a Digimon in Kowloon's being attacked by another Digimon. And much like Snimon, Kuwagumon and Unimon, this one's on its own and doesn't have a partner."

"Figures it'd be another one of those kinds of Digimon." Laura frowned as she crossed her arms. "Those Digimon are nothing but trouble for us and everyone using EDEN." Her friends all nodded in agreement.

"And that's not all, this Digimon's much more powerful than the ones we've fought before." Renamon stated/ "From what we can tell, this one's seems to be at a much higher level than the other Digimon. We could be in for a much more difficult fight than our previous ones."

"If that's the case, then so be it." Houki said with confidence. "That hasn't stopped us before from fighting the other Digimon and their partners. We'll save that Digimon before anything bad happens to it."

"Then we'd better head for Kowloon." Ichuka told everyone. "As long as that powerful Digimon's going on a rampage, there's no telling what kind of damage it can do. If we let it roam free, then everyone's going to suffer from its path of destruction." Everyone nodded in agreement as Kanzashi steps forward.

"Everyone, let me come with you to Kowloon." Kanzashi said with determination. "The two Digimon Agumon and the others mentioned, I saw them in my dreams last night. I need to make sure the Digimon I saw last night is safe."

"That's exactly how I knew Renamon was in trouble when Unimon was attacking her." Cecilia said as she believed her friend. "And if she saw them in her dreams, that could only mean the Digimon we're about to save is going to be her destined partner." Everyone all nodded in agreement.

"Okay, Kanzashi, you can come with us." Ichika agreed. "But make sure you stay close to us, we don't anything bad happening to you. We'll save the Digimon, I can promise you that." Kanzashi blushed and nodded as he turns to Twoearle. "Twoearle, think you can handle being our eyes here alone?"

"Not to worry, I've got everything under control here." Twoearle answered him with a thumbs up. "You guys just focus on saving that Digimon and making sure the other one's stopped in his tracks before he does too much damage." Everyone all nodded as they stood in front of the TV and Ichika used his Connect Jump to enter cyberspace.

* * *

As everyone save for Twoearle arrived in Kowloon, Ichika decided to ask Renamon about the Digimon ranks.

"Hey Renamon?" Ichika asked her, she paid heed to Ichika. "I want to ask you something. Whenever you and our partners digivolve into a much stronger form, what are the ranks?"

"Yes. This has been bugging me for some time now. Since our Digimon can digivolve into Champion forms, what are the ranks for each digivolved form? That way, we'll know what we're up against." Houki agreed.

"Alright. It would be wise to tell you about the ranks whenever a Digimon digivolves." Renamon agreed as she cleared her throat. "Each Digimon starts out as Baby, the weakest after hatching from a Digiegg. After gaining enough experience, the Baby Digimon will digivolve into In-Training, a little bit weaker form. Then after gaining enough experience again, it will digivolve into the Rookie rank, the forms you see us in save for Gatomon who is a Champion. If the Digimon and their partner's bond is strong enough, the Rookie will digivolve into the Champion stage, a stronger form of the Rookie Digimon. Then if both Digimon and Tamer's bonds are even stronger, the Champion will digivolve into Ultimate, a much stronger form of the Champion. Then there's warp digivolution."

"Warp Digivolution?" Char asked Renamon in confusion.

"This only applies to Rookies. Now warp digivolution occurs if the bond between the Digimon and their partner is strong enough to reach that peak to warp digivolve into Mega, a much stronger rank than Ultimate. But the strongest rank of them all is Ultra which the Digimon must somehow reach with the help of their partners." Renamon finished explaining.

"So in time, our Digimon partners will digivolve into more powerful forms if our bond with them is strong enough? Kickass!" Ling grinned as she pumped her fists in the air. Gatomon couldn't help but smile at Ling's enthusiasm.

"Yeah, but we have to wait until the time is wait for us to Digivolve into stronger forms. But right now, that Digimon in Kanzashi's dream needs our help!" Elecmon urged. Everyone nodded in agreement as they pressed forward as Agumon, Elecmon, Renamon, Biyomon, Candlemon and Monodramon digivolved into their Champion forms to help out the Digimon in distress.

* * *

 **(Meanwhile…)**

* * *

"Take this!" The minotaur Digimon known as Minotarurmon laughed evilly as he punched the plant Digimon into a cyber wall. The plant Digimon screamed in pain as she fell to the floor and was struggling to get up. Minotarumon walked menacely towards the plant Digimon. "You gave me the slip, but now it's time to say good bye! In your Rookie form, you can't match wits with an Ultimate like me! Now prepare to-"

"Mega Flame!" GeoGreymon's voice yelled as the attack hit Minotarumon for medium damage, knocking him back a little.

"Argh! Who did that?!" Minotarumon growled in fury as he looked to the left to see Ichika and the gang with their Digimon partners. Kanzashi couldn't help but stare at the injured plant Digimon.

'No doubt about it… That's the Digimon I saw in my dreams!' Kanzashi thought to herself as she got ready to spring into action.

"So you're the one harassing that plant Digimon!" Ichika yelled as he got ready. "We can't allow you to bully her or anyone else in Kowloon because of your evil deeds!"

"Bah! You goodie two shoes make me sick! The name's Minotarumon and I'll make sure all of you are reduced to data clusters!" Minotarumon growled as he readies her cannon like arm and shouted out "Earthquake Drill!" He slams the drill like arm onto the ground and it generated a mini-earthquake which made the gang stumbled for a bit. Minotarumon saw his chance and punched GeoGreymon with such force that it knocked him back a bit.

"Horn Impulse!" GeoGreymon yelled as he rammed into Minotarumon, giving him medium damage. Minotarumon punched him away.

"Hang on, GeoGreymon!" Leomon yelled as he charged towards Minotarumon and slashed him three times with his sword, giving the evil Digimon medium damage. But Minotarumon grabbed him and threw him away.

"Kanzashi…" Tatenashi whispered to her sister, Kanzashi paid attention. "You go and save that plant Digimon and get her as your partner. We're gonna need the help we can get to beat Minotarumon."

"R-Right." Kanzashi nodded as she rushed towards the plant Digimon with a Heal disk in hand.

"Strike Claw!"

"Lightning Paw!" Both Strikedramon and Gatomon charged towards Minotarumon and gave him a combo attack which gave him big damage. Minotarumon growled in fury as he used Earthquake Drill again to knock them to the ground.

"Dragon Wheel!" Kyubiimon launched her attack at Minotarumon which gave him little damage. Minotarumon growled in anger as he punched Kyubiimon into a wall.

"Meteor Wing!" Birdramon launched her attack at Minotarumon who retaliated by firing bullet shots at her with his machine arm. Birdramon evaded them with ease.

"Electro Squall!" Wizardmon launched his attack at Minotarumon which shocked him, but he stood strong and charged towards GeoGreymon and punched him rapidly.

"Dash Metal!" Dorumon launched his attack at Minotarumon, it did little damage as Minotarumon charged towards Leomon and tried to bull rush him, but Leomon leaped out of the way.

With Kanzashi and the plant Digimon, Kanzashi was tending to the plant Digimon's wounds. "You alright?" Kanzashi asked her.

"Yeah." The plant Digimon smiled softly. "I'm so sorry you have to get involved in my fight with Minotarumon. My name is Palmon, and you are?"

"Kanzashi Sarashiki. Listen, Palmon… We can work together to stop Minotarumon." Kanzashi reasoned with her.

"But he's an Ultimate!" Palmon gulped. Suddenly, Kanzashi placed her hand on Palmon's flower head.

"Listen, Palmon. I was like you, feeling like I am useless and I resented my sister because of my weakness. We never interacted with each other until Ichika got us back together." Kanzashi blushed with a soft smile. "And to tell you the truth, we both fell in love with him even though his heart may belong to Char. So we can beat him together, Palmon. And the only way we can do that is becoming partners." Palmon gasped in awe as Kanzashi said that. Suddenly, Kanzashi's Digivice which was a smartphone ranged and she checked it and it has Digimon Capture installed.

"You're right, Miss Kanzashi! We can beat him if we work together! So I'll be your partner!" Palmon said with confidence. Kanzashi smiled in response as she registered Palmon as her partner. Suddenly, Palmon glowed green. "Palmon, digivolve to…!" Palmon become a gigantic cactus with red boxing gloves and orange hair on her head and her face has three holes to act as eyes and a mouth. "Togemon!"

"Togemon… Thank you." Kanzashi smiled as Togemon charged towards Minotarumon who was beating up Strikedramon and gave the evil Digimon an uppercut.

"Ow!" Minotarumon gawked as he turned to see Togemon glaring at him. "Y-You digivolved?! Damn… Now I really need to delete you!"

"We'll see about that, Fast Jab!" Togemon yelled as she delivered lightning fast punches on Minotarumon, giving him large damage Both Togemon and Minotarumon traded blows with each other with Togemon giving the most to Minotarumon. "Coconut Punch!" Togemon winded up her fist and threw it at Minotarumon. She gave Minotarumon another Fast Jab, giving him big damage again. Minotarumon was getting weaker and weaker.

"Aw crap! I'm getting out of here!" Minotarumon stammered as he tried to high tail it out of here.

"Oh no you don't! Needle Spray!" Togemon yelled as she spins around and fires a barrage of needles which hit Minotarumon for large damage, ending the fight. Minotarumon screamed in agony as he was deleted.

As soon as Minotarumon was deleted, the Digimon save for Gatomon degenerated back to their Rookie forms. Ichika and the gang and their Digimon partners breathed out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, Renamon tensed.

"What's wrong, Renamon?" Cecilia asked her partner in concern.

"It feels like… a portal between worlds is opening…" Renamon said warningly, still feeling tensed. Suddenly, a blue portal appeared out of nowhere.

"Whoa, what is that?" Satoru gasped in shock. "This beats the supernatural by a long shot!" Ichika walked up to the portal and inspected closely. Suddenly, he heard screams.

"Ichika! Watch out!" Char gasped in shock. Suddenly, 8 people fell out of the portal and they all landed with a thud. The portal disappeared. There was one who looked tall, and had blonde hair but compared to the rest, she obviously had greater..."Assets". Another two who looked similar had similar white and light blue outfits on to match. They wore large round hats as well. Then there was another who wore a similar hat but had a much whiter color scheme to her clothes. Aside from them, there was 2 others who looked similar but were quite different. They both had black hair, with one being long hair in twintails, and the younger looking of the two having medium shoulder length hair. Aside from those six, there was one who had light purple hair with what looked like a variation to the common Japanese schoolgirl uniform. She also had what looked like a D-pad decoration in her hair.

And to everyone else's surprise, the last girl, a girl with light purple hair, a white hoodie, and two D-pad decorations, had landed on top of Ichika, with a ditzy look on her face.

"Who… the hell are you?" Ling murmured in confusion as she and her friends looked at the strange group that appeared from the portal.

"Oh! Talk about a super spin-dashin life saver! Thanks for breaking my fall, whoever you are!" Said the mysterious strange girl with her stranger speech and mannerisms "The names Neptune! And don't you forget it, sister!"

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next chapter: Our Day Off! Attack of the Goblimon!**

 **A/n: Sorry it took so long to finish this, anyway, the mini-arc is complete and we will go into the three chapter anime filler chapters before a main case. Also, my birthday is coming up on Saturday. So I will be 29 this year. I hope to see you next chapter!**

 **Also, the ending scene is based on a old fanfic of mine called FFX-2: Depend on You.**


	10. Our Day Off!

**A/N: Welcome to the filler chapters of Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth IS, each anime filler chapters will be three chapters before a main case chapter. Let me explain. Each anime filler chapter will feature an anime, in this first anime filler chapter is Hyperdimension Neptunia and after this one, I'll let my co-author Panther J pick the anime for the next anime filler chapter. And after all anime shows are introduced, we will go into the normal filler chapter route with the total of 4 chapters before a main case. So here is Chapter 10.**

 **Chapter 10: Our Day Off! Attack of the Goblimon!**

* * *

Not long after rescuing Palmon from Minotaurmon and becoming partners with Kanzashi, our heroes were able to stop Minotaurmon's rampage and helping Palmon Digivolve into Togemon. But almost immediately after deleting Minotaurmon, 8 new individuals appeared from a portal out of nowhere and landing on Ichika. Our heroes all looked at the strange newcomers as the girl with the light purple hair introduced herself as Neptune.

"Uhh…Neptune…? Isn't that the name of a planet?" Ling asked in confusion as she and her friends all looked at the strange newcomers.

"Huh? What is this planet you speak of?" The blonde girl asked in confusion. "And where exactly are we? This place surely isn't like Planetune, Lastasion, Lowee or Leanbox." Her companions all nodded in agreement as they all looked around Kowloon. "What is this place, if you don't mind me asking?"

"We could tell you, but would your friend mind getting off of our friend?" Houki asked back with a glare as she points to Neptune still sitting on Ichika as he taps his fingers on the floor as he look at the purple haired girl with an annoyed expression.

"Oops, sorry about that, buddy." Neptune said cheerfully. "It just felt so comfy on your back, I didn't bother getting up." She stands up to let Ichika stand back up and dusts himself off.

"It's all right, I'm used to it by now." Ichika said with a smile. "Believe me, this happens to me more times than I can count." He turns to the IS girls who all blushed at what he meant while Satoru, Twoearle and the Digimon were confused.

"Huh? What does he mean by that?" Satoru asked them in confusion.

"It's…kinda of a long story, but we'll tell you guys some other time." Ling answered with a nervous chuckle. "And right now, we need answers from all of you. You tell us who you guys are and we'll tell you where you all are."

"Fair enough, I suppose we can introduce ourselves to you." The black haired girl said with a nod "My name is Noire and I'm the goddess of the country of Lastasion. A pleasure to meet all of you."

"I'm Uni, Noire's younger sister and a goddess in training." Uni said as she bowed politely.

"My name is Vert, the goddess of Leanbox." Vert said with a smile. "It is a pleasure to meet some new faces. I hope we can get along well." She gave a wink and swipes her hair as her…Assets bounced and made both boys blushed.

"Keep your eyeballs in your heads, boys…" Houki grumbled as she glared at the boys, making them snap out of the trance.

"Sorry." Both boys apologized.

"Anyway, I'm up next." The short girl said with a quiet demeanor. "My name is Blanc and I'm the goddess of Lowee. Don't get on my bad side and we won't have any problems."

"H-Hello there, my name is Rom…" Rom stuttered as she looked away shyly.

"And I'm Ram, nice to meet you guys!" Ram waved "We're the younger twin sisters to Blanc and goddess in training."

"And last but not least is me, I'm Nepgear." Nepgear said with a smile. "I'm the younger sister of Neptune and a goddess in training for Planetune, which Neptune is the goddess of." Neptune nodded in agreement as everyone were all wide eyed.

"Wait, you girls are goddesses?" Satoru gawked. "But you all look like normal girls to us." His friends all nodded in agreement.

"I suppose you'd be right, but don't let our appearances fool you." Vert said, winking again. "We are known as CPUs and we are most definitely goddesses." Her fellow CPUs all nodded in agreement. "Now that we've introduced ourselves to you, I believe it's time you all do the same."

"Right, we did say we'd introduce ourselves to you." Ichika said as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "My name is Ichika Orimura." He turns to Agumon. "And his name Agumon, my partner." Agumon nodded as he waved at the newcomers.

"My name is Houki Shinonono, I'm a childhood friend to Ichika." Houki said as she bowed lightly. "And here's my partner Elecmon." She was holding Elecmon in her arms as he waves at them.

"Hey there, I'm Huang Lingway. But you can call me Ling." Ling said with a grin. "I'm another childhood friend to Ichika and here's my partner Gatomon." She was holding Gatomon in her arms as she waves at them.

"My name is Cecilia Alcott, a pleasure to meet all of you." Cecilia said while bowing lightly in politeness. "And here is my partner Renamon." Renamon just nodded as she crossed her arms.

"Hello, my name is Charlotte Dunios. But you can call me Char, if you want." Char said with a sweet smile. "And here's my partner Biyomon." Biyomon nodded at them as she stood right next to her.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Laura Bodewing." Laura said with a small smile. "And here's my partner Candlemon." Candlemon waved at them as he floated beside her.

"Hey, my name's Tatenashi Sarashiki and this is my sister Kanzashi." Tatenashi grinned. "And these two are our partners, Monodramon and Palmon." Kanzashi nodded as she and the two Digimon in question waved at the newcomers.

"And I guess I'm the last one." Satoru said with a nervous smile. "My name is Satoru Kuremi, a detective in training and here's my partner Dorumon." Dorumon smiled and nodded at the new visitors.

"A detective, you say? Sounds interesting." Vert smiled in awe. "If you don't mind me asking, Mr. Detective, but where is this place? This isn't like any place we're familiar with." Before Satoru could answer her, their communicators started ringing and they answered.

"Hey guys, what's taking you so long?" Twoearle asked in concern. "You've been in Kowloon for a long time and haven't returned yet. Were you able to take out that Digimon and saved the other one?"

"Yeah, we were able to do both of those." Satoru answered her. "And sorry we're taking so long, we had a slight delay here but we'll be back soon enough." Twoearle nodded as they closed the channel.

"That's our cue, guys. We'd better head back to the real world." Ichika smiled before turning to Neptune and her friends. "And let's take Neptune and her friends with us, I'm sure they'll have a lot of question for us. So let's bring them back to the office." Everyone nodded in agreement as they led the newcomers out of Kowloon and into the real world.

* * *

Back in the real world, Twoearle was still in the office all by herself and waiting for Ichika and the others to return. As she closes Satoru's laptop, the door opens up as Kyoko walks into the office and wipes away some sweat from her brow until both she and Twoearle noticed each other.

"Twoearle? Why are you here by yourself?" Kyoko asked in confusion as she looked around for Ichika and the others. "I thought that Ichika and the others would be here with you. Did something happened while I was out?"

"Yeah, and we had to deal with that something." Twoearle answered her with a nod. "Agumon and the others sensed two more Digimon in Kowloon and everyone else had to deal with it. They were able to save one of the Digimon and took out the other that was causing trouble in Kowloon, so they should be on their way back now." Right on cue, screen on the TV started glowing brightly as a light shoots out from the screen and lands in the center of the office as our heroes appeared with the newcomers.

"Whoa, that sure was trippy..." Neptune muttered "That reminds me of this one time when Noire, Vert and Blanc all ganged up on me and attacked me all at once. I was knocked out and lost my memories right after that."

"Huh?!" Everyone gawked.

"That's because you were being your usual idiotic self for the umpteenth time!" Noire growled as she closed her eyes and an anger vein appeared on her forehead. "We had to gang up on you, so we didn't have to deal with your idiocy for another second." Vert and Blanc both nodded in agreement while their younger sisters all sighed in annoyance and everyone were confused.

"Are they at it again?" Nepgear asked in worry.

"Yep." Uni answered with an annoyed grunt.

"Uh-huh…" Rom answered her with a sigh.

"Totally." Ram answered with an annoyed expression while everyone else were still confused.

"Okay, just what the hell are you guys talking about?" Laura asked in confusion. "What's all that about Noire, Blanc and Vert ganging up on Neptune just for being an idiot?"

"That's something I'd like to know myself." Kyoko agrees as everyone all turned around and see her.

"Kyoko? When did you get back?" Ling asked as she gasped. "I thought you were still with Matayoshi taking care of business."

"I was, but I was able to come back early." Kyoko answered her as she looked at the newcomers. "It was mostly interrogating inmates and thankfully it ended quicker than I thought. And now that you're all returned from cyberspace, I take it you've met these girls during your mission?"

"Yeah, we've met them when we saved Palmon from Minoturmon." Ichika answered her with a nod. "We saw them coming out of this strange portal that appeared out of nowhere after we've taken out Minoturmon. They've even said that they're goddesses and their sisters are goddesses in training." His friends all nodded in agreement as the CPUs all looked at Kyoko.

"Goddesses, you say… First time I'm seen some looking more like ordinary girls." Kyoko murmured in awe as she crossed her arms and looked at the CPUs with an astonished look. "But then again, no one has ever seen a goddess in centuries, so there's no guarantee on how they would look like." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Actually, the correct term for us is CPU." Vert corrected her. "As we told your friends, we are considered the rulers in our respected cities and we watch over our people. But before we go further, mind telling us who you are?"

"Well, I suppose that does seems fair to introduce ourselves." Kyoko said with a smile. "My name is Kyoko Kuremi, head of the Kuremi Detective Agency. You've already met my other assistants, but there's still one more yet to be introduced." She turns to Twoearle who nodded as she stands up.

"My name is Twoearle, another of Kyoko's assistants here at the agency." Twoearle said with a bow. "I mostly hang around here in the office and give information on what the situation is. If you ever get in a jam, you can count on me to get you out."

"And we're glad you do, Twoearle." Ichika said with a smile. "Without you, I don't think we could've made it this far." His friends all nodded in agreement as she gave them a thumbs up. "Now with that out of the way, how about you tell us about where you came from?" Everyone nodded in agreement as the CPUs all knew he was right.

"Fair enough, you've hold up your end of the agreement, so it's fair we keep our end." Noire agreed. "As Vert said before, her, Blanc, Neptune and myself are the CPUs of our cities in our nation of Gamindustri. I'm the CPU of Lastation and it's my job to watch over my people while also fulfilling their requests. Uni's still learning the ins and outs of being a CPU, but she's getting the hang of it until the day I step down and she'll take over." Uni nods in agreement as she continues on. "Of course, I have to make sure she's on the right track and grade her performance on everything she does as a way for her to improve on her abilities at being a CPU."

"Yeah right, we all know that's a load of hogwash, Noire…" Neptune frowned as she gave Noire a dirty look. "You're just saying that because you want to keep Uni busy so that you can look up new designs for your cosplay collection." Blanc, Vert, Uni, Nepgear, Rom and Ram all nodded in agreement while everyone else were confuse.

"Cosplay collection?" Everyone asked in confusion.

"Neptune, you shut up with that!" Noire shouted in anger as she shook her fist at her in rage. "You know that's so not true! I don't always look up new designs for my cosplay collection!" She stopped herself and realized she fell right into Neptune's trap as she sees a smirk on the Planetune CPU's face. "Well, at least I do something worth my time. All you do is lay around and play games all day long."

"Boo…" Neptune pouted as she crossed her arms.

"Moving right along, I suppose I'll tell you about myself." Blanc said, ignoring Neptune and Noire's banter. "Much like Noire, I'm the CPU of Lowee and it's my duty watch over my people. While I do have to make sure everyone in my city's safe from invading forces, I use the free time I have to work on some novels and making sure Rom and Ram aren't causing too much trouble."

"Now as for me, I'm the CPU of Leanbox." Vert said as she was next. "Much like my fellow CPUs, I have to keep my city well protected from monsters or invading forces that dares attack. But while I'm having some me time, I tend to log into 4GO and see what my guild's up to. Unfortunately, I don't have a younger sister like the others, so I often hang out with everyone here."

"And last but not least is little old me." Neptune beamed "Like with my CPU sisters, I'm the CPU of Plaentune and the main character of everyone's favorite franchise. But seeing as how this fanfic isn't part of our series and is something else, I'll just have to lend the spotlight to you guys. And much like both Noire and Blanc with their sisters, I have to make sure Nep Jr.'s ready for the responsibility for watching over Planetune."

"Sad part about it is that she's a lot more responsible than you, Neptune." Noire sneered as Neptune sweat drops and shows the white dotted eye look shown in most anime and games. "All you've done is sit on your lazy butt and play games without doing anything productive. It's no wonder why we always have to bail you out whenever something stupid happens to you."

"Oh really? Last I heard, you were having some trouble yourself and only called for help because you were too stubborn to ask us in the first place." Blanc glared at Noire. "If Neptune's irresponsible for being lazy, then you're in the same boat for being so stubborn." Her fellow CPUs all nodded in agreement as Noire just pouts while everyone else were still watching them.

"Wow, they sure do argue a lot…" Ling muttered with a sweat drop. "I guess living in the same area with all four cities connected to each other can get annoying sometimes. They're like roommates fighting over the phone or TV remote." Her friends all nodded in agreement as Kyoko sits at her desk.

"That reminds me when Chifuyu and myself were roommates during our field trip back in middle school." Kyoko mused as she remembered the good old times with Chifuyu. "We were always fighting who gets to sleep in the bed by the window or this one boy we both liked." She chuckled to herself. "I guess we were just like your everyday teenagers doing what you'd expect them to do." Our heroes all nodded in agreement as she turns to the CPUs. "But from what you're all telling us, you all come from another place all together and somehow ended up in Kowloon where you met Ichika and the others. Is that about right?

"Yep, that's the gist of it, Detective lady." Neptune answered with a nod.

"Although, how we got here is a mystery…" Vert said as she remembered about how they got to Ichika's world. "We were having one of our annual summit meetings to discuss on some important matters until we saw this strange light that blinded us for a few seconds. Once the light faded, there was this strange portal in the room and we had no idea where it came from or why it's in our meeting room."

"It wasn't until Neptune being her idiotic self tries to touch the damn thing before it started sucking her in." Noire fumed as she looked at Neptune with an annoyed expression. "We all tried to pull her out, but it was too strong and we were all pulled in until we ended up here and met up with these guys."

"I see, that those sounds interesting…" Kyoko nodded in understanding. "A portal that somehow led you girls to Kowloon and meeting up with Ichika and the others. This could be something else far more than we've seen up to this point." She turns to Ichika and his friends. "Cyber Sleuths, we've got another case on our hands. We need to find out what brought these girls from their home to Kowloon. Until we can come up with any conclusive evidence, we can't go rushing into this. Take it slow and the answer will come to you."

"Leave it to us, Kyoko." Ichika gave her a thumbs up. "We won't let this case out of our sights. We'll make sure that Neptune and her friends are all returned home safe and sound." His friends all nodded in agreement.

"I'm glad to hear that, this case will be in your care." Kyoko smiled. "On that note, how about some coffee, everyone? I'm sure you girls might be needing something to calm your nerves." Everyone flinched from her mentioning coffee, but the CPUs didn't take notice.

"Sure, we could go for some coffee." Noire agreed. "I've been wanting something like that for a while now." Kyoko nodded as he gets up from her desk and walks over to brew some coffee.

"Here it comes, another one of her special coffee…" Ling stammered in fear as she sweated bullets and has the white dotted eye look. "We've barely survived the last one she made. I don't know how they can."

"What are you guys talking about?" Blanc asked as she looked at Ichika and the gang in confusion. "You make it sound like her coffee's gonna kill you or something."

"That's because it almost did last time!" Houki panicked as bad memories of Kyoko's coffee came flooding into her. "We didn't listen to our friends when they warned us about her coffee and nearly payed the price for it! You guys need to get out of here while you still have a chance!"

"I don't know what your problem is, I'm sure it's probably nothing." Noire said snobbishly "You guys are just imaging things because you're all just kids. You can't seem to handle coffee because your taste buds are still childish." Before they could say anything, Kyoko comes back with eight cups of coffee and places them on the table.

"There you go, ladies. Freshly brewed red seaweed and pickled plum coffee, another specialty of mine." Kyoko said as she closed her eyes and smiled. "It's something I've been meaning to try out and thought you could give me an opinion on it. I hope you ladies like it." The CPUs all looked at the cups as the liquid swirled around.

"Well, it's rude not to accept a person's gesture." Vert said uneasily. "Let's all have a drink and see just how bad they say it is." Her fellow CPUs and CPU Candidates all nodded as each of them picked up their cups and took a sip.

"Well, how is it?" Kyoko asked "I trust that it was very delicious?" Before any of them could answer, Neptune and her friends all fainted on the floor with a loud crash. *Hmm, maybe I didn't put in much sugar in it." Everyone all looked at her with sweat drops.

* * *

 **A little later**

* * *

Not long after recovering from Kyoko's coffee, our heroes and the CPUs were standing outside of Kyoko's office and were still feeling the taste from her coffee. Noire was leaning on the wall as she and her fellow CPUs were still coughing from the coffee.

"Jeez! What the hell was that all about?" Noire asked in anger "What did she put in that coffee? Was she trying to kill us?" She then turns to Ichika and his friends and glared at them. "And how come you idiots didn't warn us about her coffee? We could've died because of your incompetence!"

"We did try to warn you, but you guys didn't listen to us!" Houki countered with a angry frown "If anyone's the idiot here, it's you for not listening to us!" Both her and Noire leaned closer to each other as their foreheads were touching until their friends pulled them apart.

"Now now, Noire. Remember your blood pressure." Vert calmed Noire down. "This is what happened last time after you let your anger get the better of you. We had to clean up your mess because you were being so stubborn to admit your faults." Her fellow CPUs all nodded in agreement as she took a deep breath and calms down.

"Mr. Ichika, there's something I've been meaning to ask you." Rom asked him. "Those creatures that were with you and your friends when we first met, what were they? They didn't look like any creatures we've seen before."

"Ah, you must be talking about Agumon and the others." Ichika smiled "They're known as Digimon, short for Digital Monsters. We've became partners with them throughout the week before we met with all of you back in Kowloon." His friends all nodded in agreement.

"Wow, that is just so awesome!" Neptune beamed in excitement "That reminds me of one of those games where you capture monsters and have them fight alongside you! Like this one series where they used these special balls to capture monsters and used them to battle others or this other one where you used dinosaurs to fight these three weirdos and pick up cards of other dinosaurs!" Ichika and the gang all looked at her with confused looks while her sister and fellow CPUs all sighed in aggravation.

"Huh? What is she talking about?" Ling asked in confusion. "And why is she mentioning all those video games where you capture monsters?"

"She does this all the time, just ignore her." Blanc answered her with an annoyed sigh. "She tends to mention some stupid stuff, so it's best for you guys to just not pay any mind to her randomness."

"Okay…if you say so, Blanc." Satoru said as he sweat dropped. "Anyway, how about we give you the tour of Nakano? I'm sure you'll find something you ladies might like here." The CPUs all nodded as they followed our heroes for the tour of Nakano Broadway.

* * *

Over the next hour, Ichika and the gang were showing their new friends all 4 floors of Nakano and what it has to offer. Vert liked the store with all the anime merchandise, Noire and Uni were looking through a clothes store as she wanted to find new designs for her cosplay costumes but she still denies it, Blanc, Rom and Ram were checking out the book store on the 3rd floor and reading through most of them, and finally, Neptune and Nepgear were playing at the arcade until they all met up again on the 2nd floor.

"Okay, I'll admit. This place is pretty fun." Noire said with a small smile. "I didn't think all the people here would be so welcoming to us and treated us like normal girls. It's nothing like that in our cities because everyone worships us." Her fellow CPUs all nodded in agreement as they watched all the people talking with each other and having fun.

"That's the best part about Nakano, everyone here is welcome." Satoru said with a smile. "It's not like any other shopping center where you just go in, buy something and leave. Here, it's much more than that, you can see everyone having the time of their lives and not worrying about the daily life. It has its quirks, but that's just what makes Nakano special to everyone."

"That is just so cheesy..." Blanc said with a frown.

"Maybe, but it's still the truth." Ichika said with a nervous laugh. "When we first arrived here, everyone was so kind to us and we felt safe here. It's almost like a home away from home." His friends all nodded in agreement until he saw a vending machine. "Hey, there's a vending machine over there. Anyone thirsty?" Everyone nodded as he walks over to the vending machine and pulls out a 500 Yen coin from his wallet and inserts it in the slot and presses the button, but nothing happens. "Huh? What the hell?"

"Hey Ichika, what's wrong?" Twoearle asked in concern. "Is there something wrong with the vending machine?"

"I dunno, it's not working for some reason." Ichika answered her as he looked at the vending machine in confusion. "I pressed the button, but it's not responding. Let me try again." He takes out another 500 Yen coin and insets it into the slot again, but this time all the soda cans started pouring out from the machine and crashing all over the floor with some of them spraying out soda.

"Hey, what the hell?!" Tatenashi yelled in confusion as soda spilled into her clothes and her friends' clothes as well. "What's going on? Why is the vending machine going haywire like this?" Just then, their Digivices started ringing and they've answered.

"Boss, we've got big trouble!" Agumon shouted. "We've sensed some Digimon inside that vending machine gizmo! We think they're the ones causing the thing to go berserk!"

"If that's the case, then we'd better stop them!" Laura frowned. "If they continue on to every other vending machine in Nakano, then this place will have the smell of soda and it'll be closed down for cleaning!"

"Then we'd better head into cyberspace and stop them." Ichika agreed. "We can't let those troublemakers cause harm to everyone using vending machines!" Everyone nodded in agreement as he turns to Twoearle. "Twoearle, cover our backs. We don't want other people knowing what's going on. I don't think they're ready to see Digimon just yet."

"Leave it to me, Ichika." Twoearle nods in understanding. "I'll make sure no one comes down this hall until you guys deal with the Digimon inside. Just make sure you guys come back safely." Everyone nodded as Ichika faces the vending machine and holds his gloved hand out as he actives his Connect Jump and everyone enters into cyberspace while she stays behind.

* * *

As soon as the gang minus Twoearle entered the vending machine's Digital Space, they saw small goblin like Digimon smashing things and laughing manically. "Whoa, what are those?" Ichika gasped as he scanned them and got his answer. "Goblimon, the Rookie form of Ogremon. I say there's about twenty of them." Suddenly, the Goblimon noticed them.

"Huh? Who the heck are you humans and Digimon?" One Goblimon asked with a sneer.

"Doesn't matter! Get them!" another Goblimon yelled as they got ready to fight.

"Looks like this is our cue to battle! Transform!" Neptune eagerly said as she and her fellow CPUs transformed. Ichika and his friends were shocked to see that the CPUS were now different with Neptune now an adult.

"What the…? How?" Cecilia recoiled in shock.

"No time! We have to beat the Goblimon! Diamond Storm!" Renamon leaped up and flung ice shards at one Goblimon, hitting it for big damage, the Goblimon screamed in agony as he was deleted. The remaining Goblimon looked at their fallen comrade in shock before glaring at the gang.

"Looks like they're pissed off about their fallen comrade!" White Heart snarled. "Give them hell!" With an angry yell, White Heart flew towards another Goblimon and slashed him, deleting him.

A Goblimon was rushing towards Biyomon but she got ready and yelled out "Spiral Twister!" She flapped her wings and summoned a green twister like attack which hit the Goblimon, deleting him.

"Cross Combo!" Purple Heart yelled as she did a combo attack on the next Goblimon, deleting him as well.

"Pepper Breath!"

"Beat Knuckle!" Monodramon flung a punch at another Goblimon after Agumon hit it with his Pepper Breath, helping Monodramon delete the Goblimon. Only 16 Goblimon remain.

"Poison Ivy!" Palmon lashed her vines at two more Goblimon, deleting them.

"Super Thunder Strike!" Elecmon fires lightning from his tails on a Goblimon, deleting it.

One Goblimon was trying to hit the White Sisters, but their combined might has deleted the Goblimon.

"Got to hit the mark." Black Sister frowned as she aimed her rifle at 3 more Goblin and with one shot from her rifle, she deleted them.

"Flame Bomber!" Candlemon flung his attack at another Goblimon, deleting it.

"Only 8 remain! Let's finish them off!" Dorumon yelled as everyone worked together to delete the 8 remaining Goblimon.

After the battle was over, all twenty Goblinmon were deleted and the Digital Space was returned to normal. Once everyone regrouped with each other, the CPUs all powered down and returned to their normal selves while Ichika and the gang were still amazed and confused.

"Okay, how did you guys do that?" Gatomon asked as she looked at the CPUs in awe. "I thought us Digimon could Digivolve like that. How did you did that?"

"Oh, that? I guess we do need to explain." Vert said with a smile. "You all remember what we said about us being goddesses?" Everyone nodded. "Well, what you saw were our true forms. Whenever there's a battle, we take on those forms you saw and return to normal once it ended."

"But how Neptune switch from her cheerful self to a more serious adult?" Cecilia asked in confusion. "Does your transformations also alter your personality?"

"In some cases, yes, it does." Noire answered her with a nod. "When we transform into our goddess forms not only do our appearances change, but also our personalities. For example, when Blanc's not in her goddess form, she's more soft spoken and mostly likes to keep to her books. But as you guys saw when she transforms, she becomes muck more aggressive and foulmouthed as well. The same can be said for Neptune, but with some differences to Blanc. When Neptune transforms, not only her personality changes but also her appearance as well, going from an idiot to a more serious woman."

"Whoa, that's just so cool!" Ling beamed. "I'm glad we met you guys back in Kowloon. With you guys around, any Digimon that causes trouble for everyone will be running with their tails between their legs!" Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, we sure are lucky we've met them." Ichika agrees, smiling. "Let's check with Twoearle and see how things are in the real world." Everyone nodded in agreement as he contacts Twoearle with his communicator. "Hey Twoearle, how are things on the outside? Has the vending machine stopped going haywire?"

"It stopped alright, but now there's soda cans everywhere on the floor." Twoearle answered him with a nod as she showed the mess on the floor. "I had to make sure no one comes walking down the hall and even put up a wet floor sign to let everyone know the floor's slippery."

"That's all right, Twoearle. You did your best for us." Ichika said in gratitude. "Just stay right where you are, we're on our way back and we'll tell Kyoko what happened." Twoearle nodded as he ends the call and turns to his friends. "Let's head back to the real world, we'd better tell Kyoko what had happened here." Everyone nodded in agreement as they made the trek back to the real world.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next chapter: Digimon Are Bravo! The Boy Who is Allergic to Girls!**

 **A/n: How was that? Sorry it took so long. I just turned 29 and I got Final Fantasy XV for the PS4 and Pokemon Sun on my birthday last Saturday. Anyway, next up, our heroes head to EDEN for some relaxation and getting to know their Digimon partners and the CPUS better until the Girls Bravo gang fell out of the cyber-sky. Can Ichika defend his female friends from the pervert Kazauma Fukuyama? Find out next time and happy holidays from Musashi the Master and Panther J!**

 **PS: The scene where the Girls Bravo gang make their appearance in the next chapter is based on Arc 3 of my finished fanfic, MegaMan X IS.**


	11. Digimon are Bravo!

**Chapter 11: Digimon Are Bravo! The Boy Who is Allergic to Girls!**

* * *

Not long after dealing with the Goblinmon and returning the vending machine to working order, our heroes made the trip back to the real world and regroup with Twoearle. Upon arriving back in the real world, Twoearle was waiting for them while trying to make sure she doesn't slip on the wet floor of soda.

"Hey guys, welcome back." Twoearle greeted "Sorry about the mess, I didn't have much time to tidy up. I would've had time to clean up if you called first." Everyone chuckled at her joke while the CPUs were confused. "But in all seriousness, what happened in there? Were you able to stop the Digimon that were causing trouble?"

"Not to worry, we've got them." Ling answered with a smile and wink. "Turns out there were some Goblinmon trashing the Digital Space inside the vending machine, but we took them down with no problems." She looks around at the mess. *But I guess that still didn't keep it from making such a big mess… How are we going to clean all this and explain it to Kyoko?"

"You guys go on ahead to the office, I'll catch up later." Satoru told them. "I'll let the janitor know about the mess, but I'll make sure not to tell him what really caused the mess. Tell Kyoko-nee that I'll be a little late." Everyone nodded as they headed back to the office while he heads to find the janitor.

"Hey, why did he call Kyoko 'Kyoko-nee'?" Uni asked in confusion. "Are they like related to each other or something?"

"Oh right, we never told you about that yet." Char remembered something important. "And yes, you are right about them being related as they are cousins. His mother is the younger sister of Kyoko's father and they both ran the Kuremi Detective Agency, the same one we're all apart of." Her friends all nodded in agreement.

"Cousins, huh? I can definitely see the resemblance between them." Noire said in amazement. "They both do have blonde hair and black eyes, but his skin's a little dark compared to hers. I suppose he's been outside more, hasn't he?"

"Yeah, that's right. He's been outside more than Kyoko." Twoearle answered "Mostly because she has to deal with some other business with an old friend of theirs while he deals with the field work. Of course, this was long before I came into the picture and later everyone else." The IS pilots all nodded in agreement.

"Oh, is that so, Twoearle?" Vert asked with a devious smirk. "And may I ask how did you come into their lives, Twoearle? What was it that causes you to draw towards our little Detective boy?" Everyone all looked at Twoearle as she blushed.

"I-It's a long story, b-but I'm not ready to reveal it yet." Twoearle answered with a stutter. "I'm really sorry, it's just something personal to me. But don't worry, once I'm ready, I'll reveal everything to you." Her friends all decided to leave it at that and continued on towards the office.

* * *

A little later after splitting up with Satoru, our heroes made their way back to agency on the 1st floor. Once they've arrived at the office, they've opened the door and entered into the office where Kyoko was still sitting at her desk and reading a newspaper to pass the time until she noticed everyone had returned.

"Kyoko, we're back from our day off." Ichika greeted. "We showed Neptune and her friends everything Nakano has to offer and took a little break." Everyone nodded in agreement as Kyoko puts the newspaper down on her desk.

"I can definitely see that, Ichika. Welcome back, everyone." Kyoko smiled "I trust that everyone went smoothly and had no complications?" She then noticed their clothes were covered in stains. "What happened to your clothes? They're all covered in stains. And where is Satoru?"

"That's the thing, we did run into some trouble during our day off." Tatenashi answered with a sigh. "After we showed Neptune and her friends around Nakano, we stopped at a vending machine for a drink, but it just started going haywire and all the soda cans came rushing out. Some of them even started spraying and that's how we go stains on our clothes."

"I see, so that's what all the commotion was about earlier." Kyoko nods in understanding. "I've heard some people saying some kids were tampering with the vending machine on the 2nd floor. I knew they were talking about all of you, but I didn't think you'd do anything like that. So what really happened with the vending machine on the 2nd floor?"

"We had to deal with some Goblinmon messing around from inside the vending machine." Houki answered her. "It was also during our battle with them that Neptune and her friends all transformed into these forms and helped us take out all the Goblinmon. Once they were all taken care of, we came back to the real world and came back here while Satoru goes to get the janitor."

"I see, that's good to hear." Kyoko said with a smile. "I knew you kids weren't the cause of all that commotion up there. Still, I'm glad everything was taken care of and now all that's to do is wait for Satoru to return." Right on cue, Satoru enters the office and closes the door behind him.

"Hey guys, I'm back. Sorry for the hold up." Satoru greeted. "I had to calm the janitor down because he was having a meltdown at the mess with all of the soda cans. Luckily, I was able to calm him down and he got to clean up the mess so he should be done in a couple of minutes. So, what did I miss?"

"Not much, just telling Kyoko about what happened." Ling answered him with a smile. "We told her about what had happened during our day off and that was about it." She turns to the rest of her friends. "And since that our day off's over, I think it's time we head for home. I definitely need a shower to wash off all that soda from my clothes before it sets in." Everyone nodded in agreement until the CPUs stepped in.

"That's all fine and good, but there's just one problem here…" Noire frowned as she placed her hands on her hips. "Where are we going to live in? We're not in our cities anymore and I don't think any of the currency we have would work here. Do you guys know where we can sleep in?" Everyone stopped and realized she was right.

"That's a good question." Houki agrees as she pondered about this. "Most of us are living at the academy and I'm not sure how we can pay for any hotels. How are we going to figure this one out?"

"I've got an idea, why don't Neptune, her sister and friends all stay with Ichika?" Char suggested with a smile. "Since Chifuyu-sensei's out for a business trip, they can stay at his house. That way, they won't get into trouble and we can pick them up after school."

"Yeah, not a bad idea, Char." Ichika agrees, smiling at her which made her blush. "I can set up sleeping bags for them and they can sleep in the living room. Of course, I may need to get more groceries for not just me, but them as well. I'll do some shopping at some point."

"Then it's settled, our new friends will be sleeping at Ichika's place." Kyoko said with a smile. "Until we can find a way back home for them, they'll be helping us in cases and be officially be part of the Cyber Sleuths." Everyone nodded in agreement as she looks at her watch. "Well, it's about time for us to close up today. When tomorrow comes, we'll see what comes up then." Everyone nodded in agreement as they left the office and headed for home.

* * *

After leaving Nakano and dropping off everyone else, Ichika brought the CPUs to his home for them to have a place to sleep. Upon arriving, Ichika unlocks and opens the door and leads them into his house, but not before telling them to take off their shoes and leave them at the front door and having them wear slippers before making their way to the living room.

"Well ladies, here we are. Welcome to my home." Ichika smiled "I'm sure you girls will be comfortable living here until we find a way to get you home. So I take it you like my home?"

"Yep, you bet we do, Ichika!" Ram agrees with a grin. "I can't believe you have this house all to yourself! It's pretty cool!" Her sisters and fellow CPUs all nodded in agreement as they looked around his home.

"Glad you know you all like it." Ichika smiled as he placed his hands on his hips. "You can sleep here in the living room since it's the biggest room in the house. Some of you can sleep on the sofa, but the rest of you might have to sleep on the floor. Good thing I've got some sleeping bags just for this occasion."

"But are you sure your parents are okay with this, Ichika?" Vert asked in concern. "I mean since we're guests, I thought it be okay if we can hear from them. Do you know where they are?" Ichika stopped in his tracks as he lowers his head.

"I don't think you'll be hearing from them…" Ichika sighed sadly "They've abandoned me and my big sister Chifuyu years ago. Of course, I don't really remember them very much, but Chifuyu hates them and always avoids the question whenever I ask her about them." The CPUs all see him clutching his hand into a fist as a small tear trails down from his eye.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was a sensitive subject..." Vert apologized as she lowered her head down a bit. "I thought that your parents wouldn't mind having us in their home. I apologize for bringing back any painful memories of them."

"It's all right, I know you didn't mean it…" Ichika said with a small but soft smile. "It's always been me and my sister living here, but I didn't really mind it. I did do most of the chores so I know my way the house while I was growing up."

"Still, that doesn't make it right for your parents to just leave you and your sister!" Noire growled in fury at Ichika's parents' actions. "If I find those idiots, I'd beat them into oblivion for leaving their son and daughter to fend for themselves!"

"Make that double for me, Noire!" Blanc agrees with an angry frown. "I'd be more than happy to knock them into the planet's core and make them regret their decision to abandon you!"

"It's all right, you two. I really appreciate it, but you don't have to do that." Ichika reassured them. "Thanks to all my friends I've met over the years, I was able to live the life my sister wanted me to have. If it wasn't for them, I would've been a different person altogether."

"That's good to hear you're happy, Ichika." Nepgear said with a smile. "I'm sure Houki and the others are also glad to have met you as well." Her sister and fellow CPUs all smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, everyone. I really appreciate you all cheering me up." Ichika said in gratitude. "But now, it's about time we headed for bed. We'll have plenty of time to talk tomorrow after school." The CPUs all nodded in agreement as he heads for the closet and takes out some sleeping bags and hands them to his new friends. "Here, you can all sleep with these. I know it's nothing much, but it's all I can do for right now."

"That's okay, I'm sure we can make do." Vert assured him. "Now then, which of us gets to sleep on the sofa while everyone else sleeps on the floor?" Her fellow CPUs all looked at each other.

"So how should we do this?" Noire asked as she crossed her arms and began to think. "How can we decide how many of us can sleep on the sofa while the rest of us sleeps on the floor?" Everyone all starts thinking while Ichika watches them.

"Given to how the curves on all three sides, I'd say only three of us can." Blanc answered her with a nod. "One of us can sleep on each side of the sofa and the rest of us sleeps on the floor. So any thoughts on the matter?"

"How about we all play Rock Paper Scissors?" Neptune suggested, the CPUs were surprised by this while Ichika blinks. "If three of us can survive from each round, then the winners can sleep on the couch."

"That's…actually not a bad idea, Neptune." Noire agrees while showing the white dotted eyes look before returning to normal. "For a minute there, I was afraid you'd pick something stupid again, but you seem to surprise us once again. I don't know whether to be surprised or terrified." Her sister and fellow CPUS all nodded in agreement while Ichika just chuckled. "Anyway, let's get this started." Everyone nodded in agreement as they all got into position.

As the CPUs started playing Rock Paper Scissors, Noire was the winner of the first round and got the left side of the couch. In the second round, Neptune was the winner and gets the center section of the couch. In the third and final round, it was a really close match until Vert came out on top and gets the right section of the couch while everyone else had to sleep on the floor as they got their sleeping bags ready.

"Wow, you girls were really into it." Ichika whistled in amazement. "That was the most intense game of Rock Paper Scissors I've ever seen. I didn't think it could be that insane."

"You'd be surprised with what we went through, Ichika." Uni said with a smirk. "We had to deal with tons of crap going against us for one reason or another, but we were able to kick their asses in the end." Her older sister and fellow CPUs all nodded in agreement. "By the way, where will you be sleeping, Ichika?"

"My room's upstairs on the second floor." Ichika answered her. "It's on the left of the stairs so if you ever need anything, I'm right there." The CPUs all nodded as he takes out his Digivice and looks at it. "Hmm…"

"What's up, boy wonder?" Neptune asked curiously. "Something going on with those goggles of yours?"

"You could say that, Neptune." Ichika answered her. "Another friend of mine gave us a feature in our Digivices not too long ago. She said it was a way to bring Agumon and the other Digimon into the real world. But since I haven't tried it yet, now seems like the right time to test it out." He then contacts Agumon. "Hey Agumon, I'm going to test out the feature Mirei gave us. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready for anything, Boss." Agumon answered him with a nod. "If what she said is true, then I'll be able to be with you in the real world." He takes a deep breath and readies himself.

"Okay then here we go, Agumon." Ichika nodded as he holds out his Digivice in front of him and shouted out "Realize!" as Agumon digitizes from the Digivice and appears in the living room. "Agumon, it worked! It really worked!"

"Yeah! it real worked, Boss!" Agumon agrees happily. "I can't believe it actually worked! Wait until the others hears about this!"

"Let's save that for tomorrow, Agumon." Ichika said with a grin. "Right now, we should all get some sleep." He turns to the CPUs all getting ready for bed. "Goodnight, everyone. See you all in the morning." The CPUs all said "Goodnight" to him as well as he and Agumon headed up the stairs to his room and went to bed until tomorrow.

* * *

The next morning, the rays of the sun entered through the spaces between the curtains in Ichika's room and hitting his face. He then stirs from the light shining through his window as he sits up and stretches his arms above him while yawning. He looks over to his left to find Agumon sleeping at the foot of his bed with a blanket wrapped around him to keep warm. Ichika smiles at him as he leans over and nudges Agumon to wake up.

"Agumon, wake up. It's morning." Ichika said with a chuckle as Agumon starts to open his eyes. "Morning, sleepyhead. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I slept like a log, Boss." Agumon answered him with a nod. "I guess this means Mirei was right about installing that feature into your Digivice. She was right about us now coming into your world."

"Yeah, she sure was." Ichika agrees, smiling again. "She might've known that we wanted to know you and the others more, so she came up with this feature she added into our Digivices. But I wonder what she meant about other Digidestineds before us?" Before Agumon could answer, they smelled something cooking coming from downstairs. "Hey, what's the smell? It sure smells good. Let's go see what's going on downstairs." Agumon nodded in agreement as he got out of bed and both headed downstairs.

* * *

Meanwhile in the kitchen, all the CPUs were awake and having breakfast. Nepgear was cooking some eggs and bacon with Uni helping her with some pancakes while Rom and Ram were setting up the table. Blanc poured orange juice into each cup while Vert was gathering some silverware and plates. Sitting at the table were Neptune and Noire as the Lastation CPU was reading a newspaper while the Planetune CPU was next to her until the table was finished.

"There we go, that should be everything." Nepgear smiled as she admired her handiwork. "Now all we have to do is wait for Ichika and Agumon to wake up and have some breakfast. I sure hope they'll like the breakfast we've made."

"They've better because if they don't, I'm gonna knock their blocks off!" Uni said with a growl. "We've slaved over a hot oven for them making breakfast, so they'd better appreciate this."

"Don't worry, Uni. I'm sure they'll like it." Ram said with a smile. "Think of it as our way of saying thanks to Ichika for letting us stay here at his house, it's the least we can do. Besides, you were the one who wanted to make breakfast for him." Her older sister and fellow CPUs all nodded in agreement as Ichika and Agumon enters the kitchen.

"Hey, what's all the commotion in here?" Ichika asked kindly "Is there some kind of party going on?"

"Hey, look who finally decided to grace us with his presence." Neptune said with a smile. "Our boy Ichika and his partner in crime Agumon."

"Partner in crime? Are we criminals?" Agumon asked in confusion.

"Don't worry, Agumon. She's just joking around." Ichika answered him with a laugh. "I'm sure that's just her way of saying good morning to us." He then looks towards the table. "Hey, you guys made some breakfast. Is that what was going on?"

"Yes, we did, Ichika. It's our way of saying thank you for letting us stay here." Vert answered him with a smile. "We thought about doing something special for you, so Uni decided we'd make breakfast for you. Isn't that right, Uni?" Everyone all turned to Uni who was blushing.

"Yeah…well…it's not like I wanted to do anything special for him." Uni answered her with a stutter. "I just thought it would be rude not to show any appreciation for letting us stay here. I'm only just being considerate, that's all."

"Well, everything does look good, so I'll take your word." Ichika said with a smile of gratitude. "And since you've all worked so hard, let's all eat together." Agumon and the CPUs all nodded in agreement as they sat around the table and started eating the breakfast.

After they were done eating, Ichika left the kitchen and headed for the bathroom to get ready for school while the CPUs cleaned up. After taking a shower, he headed for his room to put on his uniform before heading back downstairs to the front door and putting on his shoes with the Agumon right behind him and the CPUs watching them go.

"Well, time for me to head for school." Ichika said with a smile as he looked at the CPUs. "All of you better stay here, we don't want anyone getting the wrong idea. But we'll be back to get you and head for Nakano. That way, we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other better." The CPUs all nodded in agreement as he returns Agumon to his Digivice and heads out for the IS Academy.

* * *

Not long after leaving his house and meeting up with everyone else, Ichika and the gang all attended classes like normal, but with some minor differences than before. After stopping Izami from taking her revenge on them and nearly destroying the ISes, the school's security system was now more reinforced to make sure it won't be hacked into so easily.

Later at lunch, our heroes were sitting at their table eating and talking with each other. When Ichika told them about how he used the feature Mirei installed in their Digivices, they were excited to hear it works and want to try it out for themselves next time.

"Wow, I can't believe that it actually worked." Ling gasped in awe. "I thought she was just pulling our leg when she told us about that feature allowing our Digimon to come into our world. But after hearing you and Agumon testing it out, I can tell you that we'll be using it later." Her friends all nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, we were also excited to know it worked." Ichika agrees while smiling. "And after testing it out, we knew we just had to tell all of you. So we waited for today when we could tell you about it. Even Neptune and the others were also excited to see Agumon in the real world."

"Speaking of which, how are they doing at your house?" Twoearle asked him. "It must be hard having all of them living under the same roof as you. Were they able to get comfortable?"

"Yeah, they were able to get comfortable last night." Ichika answered her with a nod. "I had them sleep in the living room and gave them sleeping bags so they could sleep a little better. They even made us breakfast this morning as a way to say thanks for letting them stay."

"That's nice of them to do that." Cecilia smiled "I'm sure it was delicious, wasn't it?" Ichika nodded. "So whose idea was it to make you breakfast this morning?"

"Believe it or not, it was Uni's idea." Ichika answered her. "She wanted to make us breakfast and had everyone else help her in setting everything up. I gotta say, it sure was good and they did work hard making it, so I wasn't going to turn it down."

"That's so you, Ichika. Always being the nice guy." Houki said with a soft smile. "Your personality to being so nice to everyone is the reason why we all fell for you. But seeing as how Char might be the one you love the most, we'll be there to support both of you." Her friends all nodded in agreement as Ichika and Char looked at each other before turning away while blushing.

"By the way, there's something else I've been wanting to ask." Tatenashi stepped in "Where are we going to meet up with Neptune and her friends and our Digimon? Is there any place where not many people go to?" Everyone thought about it for a moment before Satoru spoke up.

"Wait, I think me, Twoearle and Ichika know of a place." Satoru said with a smile. "We can go to the Galatica Park in Kowloon. No one hardly ever goes there, mostly because it's a place where hackers hang around and they'd rather be within the safety of EDEN. We can meet there and hang out with Neptune's group and our Digimon."

"Perfect, then we'll head for Kowloon after school." Ichika grinned. "We'll pick up Neptune and the others on the way to Nakano and head for Kowloon from Kyoko's office once we arrive. That way, we can get to know them better and they could be new members for the Cyber Sleuths." Everyone nodded in agreement as they continued on with school until it ended later in the afternoon.

* * *

Once the school has ended for the day, our heroes returned to Ichika's house to get the CPUs and bring them to Nakano. After picking them up from his house, they got on a bus and rode it all the way to Nakano while seeing the city along the way.

"Wow, this city's a lot different from any of ours." Uni gasped in awe as she sees buildings pass by her on the bus. "I didn't think that something so primitive would have so much character to it." Her sister and fellow CPUs all nodded in agreement as they looked out the windows of the bus.

"Glad to know you're all liking our home so far." Houki smiled "Tokyo's one of Earth's largest cities along with Paris, New York and a couple others. There's plenty of shops and restaurants around the many districts here, but we'll get to those some other time. For right now, let's just enjoy the ride and seeing the sights whine on the way to Nakano." Everyone nodded in agreement as they sit back and relaxed during the bus ride.

For the next hour and a half, our heroes continued their bus ride to Nakano while seeing the sights of Shibuya, Asakusa, Akiabara and Shinjuku. As the bus drives through Shinjuku, a familiar sight comes walking down the sidewalk. It was Arata who was now just wandering around the district looking for something until he sees the bus passing by and noticed Ichika riding it. Without saying a word, he continues on his way hoping to find the answers he's searching for.

* * *

Upon arriving at the entrance to Nakano, our heroes entered the center and made their way to the agency and meet up with Kyoko. Once they've entered the office, Kyoko was nowhere to be seen again.

"Hey, where did Miss Detective Lady went off to?" Neptune asked confusedly as she looked around for Kyoko. "Did she get lost on her way here?" She got whacked on the head by Noire.

"You idiot! Why would she get lost? She's not that stupid!" Noire scolded her. "I'm sure she's just running late or has some other important things to do." She then noticed a letter on the desk and picks it up. "Hey, there's a letter here. Let's see what it says." Everyone gathered around her as she starts reading the letter.

"Everyone, I've stepped out again today and won't be back for another two hours. There are also no cases today, so you all can have another day off today. I'll be seeing all of you later. Signed, Kyoko Kuremi."

"Huh, so she stepped out again." Satoru guessed as he crossed his arms. "I guess Matayoshi wanted her for something again and had to leave before we arrived." He then turns to all his friends. "But since she said there are no cases again today, you guys still want to head for Galatica Park in Kowloon?" Everyone nodded as they all gathered around Ichika and he used his Connect Jump to enter the TV.

* * *

After entering the TV from the office, our heroes arrived Galatica Park in Kowloon with their new friends and their partners appearing next to them. Upon arriving, everyone looked around the park as Ichika remembers his first time coming to Kowloon and meeting with both Nokia and Arata in person for the first time.

"Huh, didn't think I'd see this place again." Ichika whistled as he looked around. "Especially after what happened the first time I came to Kowloon. Although, it could've gone a lot better." Agumon and the others all knew what he was talking about while the other Digimon and the CPUs were confused.

"Hmm? What do you mean by that, Ichika?" Vert asked confusedly. "Did something happened during your first time here?"

"You could say that, Vert." Ichika answered with a sigh. "It's kind of a long story, but let's just say that something happened to me and we're trying to figure out the cause of that incident a week ago." Agumon nodded in agreement as everyone decided to have a fun time and worry about that later until Renamon's ears perked up. As did Elecmon and Gatomon's ears doing the same.

"Renamon, what's wrong?" Cecilia asked in concern "Do you, Elecmon and Gatomon hear something coming?"

"Yes, we hear voices heading our way…" Renamon answered as she tensed. "From the voices, I can say there's about nine humans in a single group."

"But where are they coming from. Renamon?" Ichika asked her, he got his answer as Renamon points up into the cyber-sky and everyone looked to see nine silhouettes falling towards their location.

"They're coming in too hot! Run for your lives!" Neptune shouted as everyone got out of the way just before the group crashes onto the ground in a thick cloud of dust. After the dust cleared up, Ichika and the gang were able to see the group as they tired to pick themselves up. The group of newcomers consists of a boy with dark blue hair whose about the same age as Ichika's group, a brunette haired girl who seems the have the biggest chest out of the girls, a pink haired girl with three red dots on her forehead, a purple haired girl tied with a white ribbon, a young blonde haired girl, a tall man with blonde hair and white suit and gloves, a blonde girl with two people, a sandy blonde man with glasses and a black haired woman.

"Ow..that really hurts…" The boy moaned. "How did we even managed to survive that…? Is everyone alright?"

"Define alright, Punynari…" The blonde man grumbled..

"Hey, at least we're all still alive, Fukuyama." The brunette growled. "We should be glad we were able to get away from that thing." She then looks up and starts looking around. "But where are we? This doesn't look like any place I've seen." Just then, she felt something on her chest as she looks down to see the boy's hand on her breast. "Yukinari…where in the hell do you think you're grabbing…?"

"Huh?" The boy named Yukinari looked down to find his hand on the girl's chest. "AHHH! Kirie, I didn't mean to grab you!"

"Go do your groping in hell!" The brunette named Kirie yelled as she punched him off her, only for her to realize he was heading for the cliff.

"Not good! He's gonna go over the edge! I've got to save him!" Ichika gasped as he makes a mad dash for Yukinari with Agumon right behind him.

"Not alone you won't! I'm helping too!" Satoru shouted as he and Dorumon joins them to save Yukinari.

Just as Yukinari was about to fall over the edge, he felt two hands grabbing his arms. He opens his eyes to see both Ichika and Satoru holding onto his arms with Agumon holding onto Ichika's waist and Dorumon grabbing onto Satoru's shirt with his mouth.

"Hang on, we've got you! Just don't let go of us!" Ichika gritted his teeth as he readies himself "Okay, you ready to pull him back up, Satoru?"

"I'm ready when you are, Ichika." Satoru answered as they pulled Yukinari back onto solid ground and everyone rushed over to them.

"Whew, that was a close one." Yukinari wheezed. "Thank you for saving me, I was worried I was about to fall."

"You're welcome, I'm just glad we made it in time." Ichika smiled "Good thing we caught you before you one over the edge, that could've been a disaster." Satoru nodded in agreement before turning to Kirie and glared at her.

"What the hell was that all about?!" Houki growled in fury as she gave Kirie the evil eye as Kirie sweated bullets. "What made you think that punching him over the cliff was a good idea? He could've been badly hurt or worse!" Her friends all nodded in agreement.

"I know, that was really stupid of me to do that." Kirie lowered her head despondently. "I let my anger get the better of me again and nearly hurt him." She then turns to Yukinari as he dusted himself off. "I'm sorry, Yukinari. I let my anger get the best of me again and you nearly got hurt. I hope you can forgive me."

"It's all right, Kirie. I'm not mad at you." Yukinari said with a smile that made her blush a little. "I was lucky they've managed to save me before something bad happened. So I forgive you, Kirie." Kirie sighs in relief knowing that he forgives her for nearly knocking him over the cliff.

"So can someone tell us what the hell's going on here?" Noire asked in annoyance. "Who are you guys and where did you all come from? And what's this about getting away from that thing?" Before anyone could answer her, Renamon, Elecmon and Gatomon's ears all perked up again as they heard a loud sound.

"Hold on, there's something else heading this way." Elecmon said with a serious frown. "And from the sound of it, it's something big and strong. Something that's out for revenge."

"What do you mean, Elecmon? Who's out for revenge?" Houki asked and before he could answer, the sound got louder and closer to them until it revealed itself as a massive dragon Digimon with a mask that covers one of its eyes, an abnormally large right arm, a shoulder pad with spikes and its tail has armor on it.

"Leomon! Show yourself!" The Digimon roared.

"That's a Cyclonemon!" Biyomon gasped in shock.

"Cyclonemon?" Char asked her partner.

"Yeah. Cyclonemon are rivals of Leomon. So I can tell this one is looking for a Leomon." Biyomon explained as she got ready. "But we'll work together to defeat him! Char, get ready!"

"Right!" Char nodded.

"Renamon, battle stance!" Cecilia issued.

"Hmm!" Renamon nodded as she got ready for battle.

"Elecmon, get ready to digivolve!" Houki ordered.

"Got it!"

"Palmon, are you ready?" Kanazashi showed a serious face as she got ready.

"Always ready, Kanazashi!" Palmon nodded as she too got ready.

"Gatomon, get ready to kick some ass!" Ling issued.

"Roger!" Gatomon nodded as she got ready as well.

"Monodramon, are you ready?" Tatenashi frowned seriously.

"Yep!" Monodramon nodded as he too got ready to digivolve.

"Candlemon, get ready to digivolve!" Laura issued.

"Understood!" Candlemon agreed.

Alright, Dorumon. Let's work together to beat this creep!" Satoru got ready.

"Ready when you are!" Dorumon agreed as he got into a battle stance.

"Agumon, are you ready?" Ichika got ready.

"Ready, Boss!" Agumon agreed.

"Agumon, digivolve to… GeoGreymon!"

"Elecmon, digivolve to…Leomon!"

"Renamon, digivolve to… Kyubiimon!"

"Biyomon, digivolve to… Birdramon!"

"Candlemon, digivolve to… Wizardmon!"

"Monodramon, digivolve to… Strikedramon!"

"Palmon, digivolve to…. Togemon!"

As soon as the heroes' Digimon digivolved, the CPUs and the newcomers were surprised by this.

"Whoa! Did you guys see that? Agumon and his Digimon buddies just got bigger!" Neptune showed the white dotted eye look.

"Yes. And their names have changed when they took on those forms." Vert agreed. "But we need to help them nevertheless." The CPUs nodded as they transformed as well.

"I finally found you, Leomon…" Cyclonemon growled in fury as he glared at Leomon. "Now I will prove to you that I am the strongest Digimon there is!" Cyclonemon's mouth starts gathering energy. "Hyper Heat!" He fired a flaming blast at Leomon who leaped out of the way.

"Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon flung his attack at Cyclonemon, giving him medium damage.

"Volcano Dive!" Black Heart yelled as she leaped up and slams her attack on Cyclonemon, but he blocked it and knocked her away, but she regain her footing. "Damn… He's a lot tougher than he looks!"

"Dragon Wheel!" Kyubiimon yelled as she launched her attack at Cyclonemon who was hit by it for medium damage.

"Why you! Arm Bomber!" Cyclonemon yelled as he threw a fist at GeoGreymon who was hit by it for medium damage.

"Mega Flame!" GeoGreymon breathed out his attack on Cyclonemon for large damage.

"Needle Spray!" Togemon launched her attack on Cyclonemon, giving him medium damage.

"Hyper Heat!" Cyclonemon launched his attack at Birdramon who was hit by it for medium damage.

"Don't give up, Birdramon!" Char encouraged.

"Don't worry, Char! I'll be okay!" Birdramon reassured her partner as she flew up and shouted out "Meteor Wing!" She launched her attack at Cyclonemon who blocked most of them, but was hit by most of Birdramon's attack.

"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon launched her attack at Cyclonemon who was hit by it for medium damage.

"Congelatin!" White Heart yelled in fury as she charged towards Cyclonemon with her axe infused with ice as she tried to slash Cyclonemon, but Cyclonemon noticed her and punched her into the ground. Ichika and the gang including the newcomers heard White Heart cursing out a storm and made all except for the CPUs sweat dropped.

"Whoa… I never knew that Blanc was this foul mouthed…" Tatenashi muttered in astonishment.

"That's who our big sister is." Ram (White Sister) told her. "But there's no way we're letting this dummy get his revenge on Elecmon, err, I mean Leomon!" Ram got ready. "Ice Coffin!" She made icicles appeared below Cyclonemon. "Gotcha!"

"Strike Fang!" Strikedramon yelled as he lashed his claws at Cyclonemon, giving him medium damage.

"Arm Bomber!" Cyclonemon slams his arm down on Wizardmon, but when he lifted it up, he saw he attacked a illusion.

"Electro Squall!" Wizardmon launched his attack at Cyclonemon, giving him medium damage.

"I won't fall! I will end Leomon and die trying!" Cyclonemon yelled in fury as he broke free from Ram's Ice Coffin and charged towards Leomon.

"Dash Metal!" Dorumon launched his attack at Cyclonemon and it did small damage.

"Now it's time we end this, Cyclonemon! Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon launched his attack with full force which hit Cyclonemon for big damage, ending the fight. Cyclonemon roared in agony and disbelief as he was deleted.

Once Cyclonemon was deleted, our heroes all breathe a sigh of relief knowing that a rival to Leomon was no more and everyone regrouped as the Champion Digimon all reverted back to their Rookie forms while Gatomon stayed the same.

"Whew, glad that's over and done with…" Uni (Black Sister) sighed in relief before turning to Elecmon. "I can't believe that creep was really out for blood against you, Elecmon. Did you do something that made him want revenge on you?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I did do something to Cyclonemon." Elecmon answered her with a sigh. "It was along time ago when the Cyclonemon were much different than how they are now. They used to be proud warriors and were amongst the strongest of all. But that all changed when they've challenged a Leomon to battle and lost horribly. To add insult to injury, their right eye was crushed and that's why we can only see his left eye from his mask. Now for the sake of revenge, they've lost all pride as warriors and became fighters obsessed with bloodshed. The enlarged right arm is proof of their transformation from proud warriors to vengeful and bloodthirsty monsters."

"I see, that sounds awful…" Green Heart said as she lowered her head despondently. "Losing your eye and pride as a warrior can drive someone into madness. Do you think we'll be facing others like Cyclonemon and those Goblinmon from yesterday?"

"Yes, I'm positive we'll be seeing more Digimon like Cyclonemon and the Goblinmon." Renamon answered her with a nod. "But I'm also positive they'll be much stronger than the ones we've been fighting for over a week now. So when they do come, we'd better be ready for any fight that might come our way." Everyone nodded in agreement as they all turned to the newcomers who were still shocked about what had happened.

"Okay, just what the hell was that all about?" Kirie demanded. "What was with your pets changing into bigger monsters and what was the deal with that one? You guys had better come up with an explanation!"

"We can understand you guys are confused, but you need to calm down." Ichika reasoned. "We'll tell you everything, but here's not the best place for that. We'll tell you everything when we head back to the office." Everyone nodded in agreement as Fukuyama gropes White Heart from behind.

"Hey, what the hell?!" White Heart gawked as everyone was caught off guard.

"My, what an exceptionally beautiful loll here!" Fukuyama slurred pevertedly "I hope you don't mind me getting a closer look! I want to see every aspect of your body!"

"Don't you dare, you sick pervert!" White Heart snarled in fury "If you even think about laying one finger on me, I'll be sending you to hell!" She throws him onto the ground and starts beating the crap out of him while everyone watches her cursing up a storm again.

"Sheese… Remind me to never get Blanc mad." Tatenashi sweat dropped.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next chapter: Dorumon Finally Digivolves! The SAO Players Enter the Fray!**

 **A/n: Happy New Year everyone. Sorry for the long wait. Anyway, next chapter will have the final chapter of the first segment of the anime filler chapters and Dorumon will finally digivolve. So stay tuned for more updates!**


	12. Dorumon Finally Digivolves!

**A/N: Okay, we're almost done with the first segment of the filler chapter segments. After this chapter, we'll go into the first main case chapter and into a another segment and so forth. So here is Chapter 12.**

 **Chapter 12: Dorumon Finally Digivolves! The SAO Players Enter the Fray!**

* * *

After everything settled down, including Blanc venting out her anger on Fukuyama, our heroes decided to introduce themselves to the newcomers as the CPUs all returned to their normal forms once White Heart has calmed down while leaving Fukuyama lying on the floor and twitching in pain.

"Now that Blanc's finally calmed down, I believe it's time to introduce ourselves." Ichika said with a smile. "My name is Ichika Orimura, it's nice to meet all of you." He then turns to Agumon. "And here's Agumon, my partner." Agumon waved at them.

"My name is Houki Shinonono, a childhood friend to Ichika." Houki said, smiling as well. "And here's my partner, Elecmon." Elecmon waved while in her arms as she glared at Kirie. "But don't think I've forgotten about a certain idiot who nearly hurts her own friend." Kirie sweat drops as she knew who she was talking about.

"Hey guys, I'm Huang Lingyin. But you guys can call me Ling." Ling greeted with a cheery smile. "I'm another childhood friend to Ichika here's my partner, Gatomon." Gatomon waved at them while she in her arms.

"My name Cecilia Alcott, a pleasure to meet all of you." Cecilia greeted as she bowed lightly. "I'm glad to see none of you are hurt too badly." She then turns to Fukuyama still lying on the ground. "With one exception, of course... Anyway, here's my partner, Renamon." Renamon just nodded while crossing her arms.

"Hello, my name is Charlotte Dunios. But you can call me Char, if you want." Char greeted with a smile. "And here's my partner, Biyomon." Biyomon waved at them while standing next to her.

"Pleased to meet you, my name is Laura Bodewig." Laura greeted as she bowed lightly. "And here's my partner, Candlemon." Candlemon smiled and nodded as he floated beside her.

"Hey there, my name is Tatenashi Sarashiki and this is my sister, Kanzashi." Tatenashi greeted with a smile. "And these two are our partners, Monodramon and Palmon." Kanzashi nodded in agreement as their Digimon partners waved at the newcomers.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Satoru Kuremi." Satoru greeted with a smile. "I'm a detective in training, but I know my way with a case or two. And here's my partner, Dorumon." Dorumon smiled and nodded.

"Hey, I'm Twoearle. I'm also a detective in training and a scientist." Twoearle greeted as she waved. "I don't have a partner like everyone else, but I can handle anything that involves computers or getting out of situations."

"Howdy do, everyone. My name is Neptune." Neptune greeted with a casual wave. "I'm the CPU of Plantetune and also the other personality you saw, Purple Heart." She then turns to her sister. "And here is my sister, Nepgear or as I like to call her, Nep Jr. She a CPU in training." Nepgear nodded in agreement.

"Hello, my name is Noire." Noire greeted with a smile. "Much like Neptune, I'm also a CPU but of Lastation. I'm also known as Black Heart while in the other form you saw." She then turns to her sister. "And here is Uni, my younger sister. Much like Nepgear, she's also a CPU in training." Uni nodded in agreement with her older sister.

"My name in Blanc, nice to meet all of you." Blanc greeted with a small smile. "Much like both Neptune and Noire, I'm also a CPU but of Lowee." She then turns to her twin sisters. "These two are my younger sisters, Rom and Ram. And much like Uni and Nepgear, they're also CPUs in training. Just don't piss me off like your perverted friend there and we won't have any problems." Everyone turned to Fukuyama who was still twitching and groaning in pain.

"Don't you worry, we'll remember that." Kirie said with a nervous smile as her friends all nodded in agreement.

"Well, on that note, that just leaves only me." Vert said with a smile. "My name is Vert and I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Much like with my fellow CPUs, I am also a CPU but for Leanbox. Unlike the others, I don't have a younger sister, but I do hope we can get along."

"Nice to meet all of you, my name is Yukinari Sasaki." Yukinari greeted with a smile. "Thank you again for saving me before, I really appreciate it." Both Ichika and Satoru smiled and gave him a thumbs up and he returned the gesture. "And here are my friends, Miharu Sena Kanaka, Kirie Kojima, Lisa Fukuyama, Koyomi Hare Nanaka and Tomoka Lana Jude."

"Hold on, you said her name was Fukuyama, right?" Uni asked with raised eyebrows. and he nodded in response. "And one of your friends all him Fukuyama, right?" She points to Fukuyama still on the floor as Yukinari nodded again. "Then does that mean she's related to that pervert?!"

"Unfortunately, yes. He's my older brother…" Lisa answered with a sigh. "I'm sorry for his actions to you, Blanc. That's just how he is and I had to learn to live with it."

"I'll forgive just you, but not him..." Blanc said as she felt sorry for Lisa as Blanc glares at Fukuyama. "So if he ever tries to do what he did before, I'll personally send him to hell and make sure he stays there!" Everyone took a step back as a red aura emits from her as her left eye glows red.

"And on that note, let's agree to never anger Blanc again." Ichika said with a nervous smile and everyone nodded in agreement. "Anyway, let's head back to the office. There's one more person you haven't met yet and you can tell us everything there. It's a lot more comfortable than here." Everyone nodded in agreement as they led the newcomers back to the agency as Fukuyama finally recovers.

"Ow…why must I be the victim of every misfortune?" Fukuyama moaned. "What have I done wrong to deserve this kind of treatment?" But no one bothered to listen to him as they continued on.

* * *

Not long after meeting with Yukinari's group and deleting Cyclonemon, our heroes returned to the office back in the real world and wait for Kyoko to return as well. As Kyoko enters the office, the TV screen started glowing as Ichika and the gang emerged from the screen and appeared in the center of the office with the newcomers.

"Whoa, that sure was weird..." Kirie muttered as she held her head to try to ease the dizziness. "Now I know how it feels to be downloaded from a computer." Her friends all nodded in agreement as they regained their composure.

"Sorry about that, it tends to happen for first timers." Ichika said with a smile. "You'll be feeling a little dizzy the first time, but you'll get used to it sooner or later." His friends all nodded in agreement.

"I sure hope it's the former and not the latter." Lisa sighed. "I don't think I can handle going through that again for the rest of the day."

"I think it was really fun!" Miharu said with a smile. "It was like those rides you told me about, Yukinari! I hope we get to ride it again!" Everyone all looked at her and sweat dropped as Kyoko clears her throat at them.

"Ahem. Well, I can see you all had an eventful day off again." Kyoko said with a smile. "I take my eyes off of you for two hours and your group has gotten bigger. Some times I might be needing a bigger office just to fit all of you."

"Sorry about that, Kyoko, but we had to help them." Houki apologized as she rubbed the back of her head nervously. "They were in trouble from another Digimon and we had to save them. And once everything settled down, we brought them here so they would know what's going on." Her friends and the CPUs all nodded in agreement.

"Well, as long as you're all helping those in need, that's fine with me." Kyoko smiled with arms crossed "It's a detective's job to make sure the client or innocent bystander is safe from harm. It's good to know you all are doing that very action, my assistants." Ichika and the gang all nodded in agreement as Yukinari's group turned around to see her standing by the door.

"Hey, who's the old lady over there?" Tomoka asked as she looked at Kyokoe oddly. "And why is she dressed all weird? Is she some kind of stripper or something?" Everyone gasped in shock as a slashing sound was heard. Kyoko's left eye twitched in anger.

"Tomoka! Don't be rude!" Koyomi scolded her with a disapproval frown. "You shouldn't be referring people like that! It's not very adult-like!"

"But why, Koyomi? Isn't that how she's dressed?" Tomoka asked in confusion.

"Uh-oh…" Satoru gulped as he sweat drops in fear.

"Old lady, you say… A stripper, you say…" Kyoko said as a dark aura appeared around her. "I'll have you know that I'm only 24, you little brat…" She then glared intensely at Tomoka who hid behind Koyomi. "But saying that I'm a stripper is crossing the line!"

* * *

 **A few minutes later...**

* * *

"Whew, glad you finally calmed down, Kyoko." Cecilia sighed in relief. "I thought for a minute there we had to do something drastic, but I'm glad we didn't." she then placed her hand on her hip. "Still, I didn't think you would just burst out like that. Remind me to never get on your bad side as well." Everyone nodded in agreement while Blanc was happy to know someone else had the same sailor mouth like her.

"Yes, I'm sorry you had to see that." Kyoko apologized as she rubbed the back of her head nervously. "That sure was embarrassing for you all to see that side of me, it's not really something I'd like to reveal to anyone." She then turns to see Yukinari's group. "And on that note, who are they? I take it you've found them like with Neptune and the others?"

"Yeah, we did. We've met them while in Kowloon." Ichika answered her with a nod. "This is Yukinari and his friends, we've saved them from Cyclonemon. And then after that, we brought them here to meet you." He turns to Tomoka who was still hiding behind Koyomi and is scared of Kyoko. "Although, I just wish that really didn't happen..."

"Yes, I suppose that's true." Kyoko agrees with a nod. "But what has happened, happened and we can't change it. Still, it's best we move on before anything else happens." She turns to Yukinari's group and clears her throat. "Sorry you all had to see that outburst, it wasn't really very professional of me."

"It's alright, it wasn't your fault, anyway." Yukinari assured her. "But I'm sorry our friend was rude to you, she's not like that once you get to know her." His friends all nodded in agreement.

"I hope you're right about that because I don't plan on ignoring that comment." Kyoko said as she glared at Tomoka who sweat drops in fear. "Anyway, I am Kyoko Kuremi. I'm the person who runs the Kuremi Detective Agency and the boss of Ichika and his friends." Ichika and his friends all nodded in agreement.

"Hold on, you said your name was Kuremi, right?" Kirie asked and Kyoko nodded. "And when we first met Satoru, he said his name was also Kuremi, right?" Kyoko nodded again. "Then does that mean you two are…?"

"Yes, we are indeed related. We're cousins." Kyoko answered her with a nod. "His mother is the younger sister of my father, but we'll save the rest for later." She leans back in her chair. "And now with that settled, where are they going to stay in? A hotel's too expensive for us to pay and I don't think there are apartments in this area." Everyone thought for a moment until Cecilia spoke up.

"Hey, why don't we have Yukinari and his friends enroll at the IS Academy?" Cecilia suggested with a smile. "They can live on the academy grounds and attend classes with us." She then turns to Fukuyama as she remembered what he did earlier with a disapproval frown. "Well, maybe like three exceptions to that rule." Both the man and woman nodded as they knew what she meant while Fukuyama wasn't too happy.

"Wait, why can't I attend this academy of your?!" Fukuyama protested in anger as an anger vein appeared on his forehead. "I have the money to attend there, so I can enroll myself whether you like it or not!"

"True you have the money, but that's not the real reason…" Ichika said with a frown as he crossed his arms and glared at Fukuyama. "From what we saw you doing to Blanc before, that only proves to us that you're a pervert! And our school doesn't allow perverts like you roaming around! So even if you did managed to sneak in, you'd be thrown out the moment you step foot!" His friends all nodded in agreement as they remembered him groping Blanc earlier.

"Okay, now that tears it! I can't stand you anymore!" Fukuyama snarled in fury. "You want to keep me away from this school? Well, fine by me! From this day forth, you are my new rival! I'll find a way to get into that school one way or another!" Ichika said nothing and just continues to glare at him.

"Okay then, now that's everything's settled, how about some coffee?" Kyoko suggested, doing her best to ease the tension. "I'm certain you're all thirsty after all that excitement. I can make some for everyone." That caused everyone except for Yukinari's group to flinch.

"AHHHHHHH!" Ichika and his friends all screamed.

"Sure, I can go for some coffee, Miss Kyoko." Yukinari said with a smile. "I'll be happy to try whatever kind you can come up with." His friends all nodded in agreement while Fukuyama was grumbling to himself as Kyoko nodded and left her desk to make coffee.

"Here it comes again, another one of her special coffee!" Uni panicked while showing the white dotted eyes. "I can't believe they're going to try it themselves! We've barely even survived it the other day, I don't think they can!"

"Huh? What are you guys talking about?" Lisa asked in confusion. "Don't tell me you guys are afraid of her coffee, aren't you? I'm sure there's nothing wrong with it."

"You don't understand, her coffee's not like any coffee you've seen before!" Noire frantically waved her arms up and down while showing the white dotted eyes look. "It's the most rancid and putrid thing on the face of the planet! If you guys are smart, you'd all get out of here while you still can!"

"Come on, I'm sure there's nothing to be afraid of." Kirie dismissed her. "You're all just being paranoid, there's no possible way her coffee's as bad as you say." Before anyone could say anything else, Kyoko returned with a tray full of cups.

"Here you go, everyone. Freshly brewed wasabi and red paste coffee." Kyoko said while closing her eyes and smiling. "It's a little something I'm working on, so it's still in the testing phase. I hope you all like it." She hands them each a cup as the coffee was boiling from inside the cup save for Lisa bodyguards who declined her offer.

"Well, here it goes…" Yukinari said as he got a bad feeling about this. "Bottoms up." He and his friends all took a sip of the coffee before placing the cups back on the plates.

"Well, how is it?" Kyoko asked hopefully with a hopeful smile. "Was it delicious?" Before any of them could answer, they felt a sharp pain before fainting on the floor with a soft crash. "Huh, I guess it's still a work in progress... I'll have to come up with something else for my next coffee." Everyone sweat dropped as their new friends all laid on the floor.

* * *

Not long after leaving Nakano, our heroes were riding a bus back home after bring their friends away from Kyoko's coffee. During the bus ride, Yukinari and his friends have recovered from the coffee and were getting feelings back in their stomachs.

"Man, how did we even survive that?" Kirie moaned as she clutched her stomach. "I can't believe she was crazy to add in wasabi to the coffee!" She then turns to Ichika and his friends. "Hey, sorry we didn't listen to you guys. You warned us about her coffee and we paid the price for it." Her friends all nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry, you're not the only ones here." Noire added with a sigh. "We were the second to ignore their warnings about Kyoko's coffee. Believe me, we can still feel the pain from her coffee inside us." Her sister and fellow CPUs all nodded in agreement.

"By the way, there's something I've meaning to ask you, Ichika." Nepgear asked him out of curiosity. "How did you get your Connect Jump ability? Did someone give you that ability or did you obtain it some other way?" Everyone all looked at Ichika as he hesitated for a bit.

"Well… It's just that… You see…" Ichika hesitated before sighing. "Well, I suppose I'll have to tell you all sooner or later." Everyone except his friends all raised an eyebrow as he takes a deep breath. "Okay, here's the real reason why I have my Connect Jump. It happened more than a week ago when I first met some friends of mine I met online in person and later Agumon. When we were attacked by this creature that we have never seen before, it touched my leg with its tentacles and everything went black. For what seems like hours, I found myself in the middle of the street in Shinjuku where Kyoko found me and brought me to Nakano where I also met Satoru and Twoearle." The two in question nodded in agreement as he continued. "After telling them about what had happened, it was then I used my Connect Jump for the first time and entered the TV in the office. It wasn't long after when we arrived at the hospital where I found my body in a coma because of the EDEN Syndrome." Everyone except his friends all gasped in shock.

"B-b-but how's that even possible?!" Koyomi stuttered "If your body's hospitalized, then how can we see you all fine and normal? It doesn't make any sense!"

"That's what we're trying to figure out." Satoru stepped in for Ichika "We're still investigating on what had happened to not just Ichika, but several other people with EDEN Syndrome while also investigating Kamishino Enterprises' shady business. Until something conclusive comes up, we can't do anything about them just yet."

"Hey, what is this Kamishino Enterprises you guys are talking about?" Miharu asked confusedly "Do you think they make some great food?" Everyone looked at her and sweat dropped for thinking about food again.

"Uh…no, they don't make food." Houki answered her with a dull expression before regaining her composure. "They're a huge corporation centered in the middle of Tokyo and is one of the biggest companies next to the New Metropolitan Building. They're the ones who created Cyberspace EDEN, a massive internet server where people from around the world can interact with one another without having to travel to other countries."

"Wow, that's just amazing!" Ram beamed. "I can't believe they've made a server that allows people to interact with each other! They must be really smart for them to make that!"

"Maybe, but that doesn't excuse the fact they're up to something..." Cecilia frowned seriously "They're keeping what is happening to the EDEN Syndrome patients a secret while protecting their good image."

"But what's the EDEN Syndrome? Is it a disease or illness?" Nepgear asked in concern.

"From what we know, it's a mysterious illness that puts people who used EDEN in comas due to various and mysterious ways. Kamishino Enterprises is looking for a cure, but I doubt that's the case..." Kanzashi frowned seriously.

"Well, I think I've got the whole picture of the situation..." Neptune frowned seriously as she pounded her fists together. "So I say we storm Kamishino Enterprises and expose them for the evil criminals they are!"

"I'm afraid we can't do that, Neptune." Twoearle disagrees with her as she added "If we try to storm in, we'll be labeled as criminals for trespassing and trying to take down a massive company. So we need evidence if we're going to take them down, but that's gonna be a problem."

"So what do you plan to do?" Noire asked her as she crossed her arms. "If we can't take down Kamishino now, what is there to do now?"

"Until we find some real decisive evidences, we do nothing." Satoru answered her. "We'll just have to wait and see until Kamishino slips up and when that times comes, that's when we'll strike." Everyone all nodded in agreement as the bus drops off him and Twoearle at their destination for continuing on to drop off the others.

* * *

 **Meanwhile in another dimension...**

* * *

In the world of Aincrad, over 10,000 players are trapped in this virtual prison with their only means of escape were to get to the 100th floor and beat the final boss to win. However on the 79th floor, a group of friends were celebrating their victory of clearing the floor and saving one of their friends from the Hollow Area. Kirito and his friends were all relaxing at Agil's shop for saving their friend Phillia from her fate and clearing the 79th floor of Aincrad.

"Whew, that was a close one." Klein smiled as he drank his orange juice. "I can't believe we were able to survive the boss on the last floor. I didn't think we were going to survive that time."

"You can say that again, Klein." Liz agrees with a smile "I was worried we weren't going to make it out in one piece, but I'm glad we did. We were really cutting it close when we were trying to save Phillia." Her friends all nodded in agreement.

"But we still did managed to save her and clear the floor in the process." Silica said with a smile. "We were able to beat the boss and save Phillia while also making to back. I'd say we really pulled it off great and came back with everyone still here." Everyone all smiled and nodded in agreement while Phillia was confused.

"But why did you all save me from the Hollow Area?" Phillia asked in confusion. "I just don't get it, how can you all be celebrating after nearly dying from the boss? You all could've died in there while fighting the boss and freeing me."

"Maybe, but we couldn't just let you handle it on your own." Leafa smiled "If we did, we'd never forgive ourselves for letting one of our friend deal with something that could have easily killed you. Plus, you were now part of our group and we'd be sad if you died."

"She's right, Phillia. We wouldn't just abandon you." Kirito agrees "We're not like everyone else who'd turn their backs on you for something you had no control over, but not us. We'll always be here for you and you won't be alone anymore." His sister, wife, daughter and friends all nodded in agreement as Phillia started tearing up.

"Everyone, thank you…" Phillia smiled softly with a tear falling down her cheek as everyone all approached her and hugged her.

Unknown to them, a hooded figure was watching them from the window but is more focused on Asuna as he watches them. Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling as the ground started shaking violently. Even Kirito and his friends were all feeling the earthquake as they tried to keep their balance.

"Hey, what the hell's going on?!" Klein shouted in confusion. "Why is everything shaking all of the sudden?" Before anyone could answer him, the earthquake became more violent until in an instant, they all vanished without a trace. Even the hooded figure watching from outside was gone as the other players started to panic.

"What the..? What the hell just happened!?" MP #1 asked in shock. "Did Kirito and those other guys just vanished?!"

"I don't even know what happened to them!" FP #1 answered with a stutter. "But was that an earthquake we felt just now? How is that even possible to have an earthquake in a VRMMORPG? It just don't make any sense!" The other players all nodded in agreement until one player stepped forward.

"Everyone, we need to calm down." MP #2 said being the voice of the reason. "I'm sure whatever happened to Kirito and his friends was probably just a glitch in the system, so there's no need to panic. Let's all head for the 76th floor and wait for their return." The other players all calmed down and nodded in agreement as they headed for the 76th floor of Aincrad.

* * *

 **Around the same time**

* * *

In another part of Aincrad, lies a forest mostly known for searching for rare items or hunting rare monsters. One player in particular was doing just that as he was slashing through monsters with little effort while finding rare items and placing them in his inventory. The player was a young man with an appearance similar to Meta Knight and was even called that because of him having some of the most OP items and weapons in the game.

"Okay, that's the last one for this quest." Meta Knight said with a smile. "I'll admit, this was quite the change of pace for quests nowadays. Still, I was able to find the times and kill all the monsters in this area, so it's time for me to head back." But before he could be on his way, he felt a rumbling as he tries to keep his balance. "What the hell?! What's going on? This isn't part of the game!" In an instant, he vanished without a trace and no one was around to see him disappear.

* * *

 **Back in Ichika's World**

* * *

"Ahh!" Ichika gasped as he stood up from his bed, panting heavily. He looked around and was still in his room in his house. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Boss, what's wrong?" Agumon asked as he looked up from the bottom of the bed. "It sounded like you were having a nightmare."

"It wasn't a nightmare, Agumon…" Ichika said softly as he looked at the window. "It was like… a vision of some arrivals from some other place. I'm not sure how to explain it, but something tells me we're expecting more visitors from some other place…."

"I wonder what that means." Agumon asked in concern.

"Well, no use worrying about it now. Let's get back to sleep and prepare for the next day since Yukinari and his friends except for Fukuyama are attending the IS Academy tomorrow." Ichika sighed as he and Agumon slept for the next day.

* * *

The next morning, Ichika and Agumon woke up and headed downstairs for breakfast with the CPUs again. After having breakfast and getting ready, he heads out to school but not before recalling Agumon back into his Digivice so no one would see him. Upon arriving and attending class, he still couldn't get his vision from last night off his mind as Houki and the others all noticed him spacing out.

"Ichika, is there something wrong?" Houki asked in concern as she looked at Ichika with worry in her features. "You look like you didn't get enough sleep last night. Is there something you'd want to tell us?" Her friends all turned to him and waited for his answer until he snapped out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Did you say something, Houki?" Ichika asked back in confusion.

"Okay, what the hell's going on, Ichika?" Ling asked, also in concern. "Seriously, you've been spacing out for the last couple of minutes. Is there something on your mind?"

"Oh, that. Sorry guys, I guess I wasn't paying attention." Ichika apologized as he began telling his friends about the dream he had. "I had this strange dream last night about these people being caught in an earthquake and vanishing without a trace. But it didn't felt like a dream… it was more like a vision…"

"A vision? What was this vision about and who did you see?" Char asked, feeling concern for her friend and future lover.

"I'm not sure, but they look like to be the same age as us with only three expectations." Ichika answered her. "But from what I can tell, it looked like a video game they were in with several other players well. But then, there was this earthquake and it was so violent that they all vanished without a trace."

"Hold on, there's no way that can be possible." Satoru interjected as he looked at Ichika with wide eyes. "How can there be an earthquake inside of a video game? And how did the ones you saw just vanished like that?"

"I'm not sure about it myself, but it sure felt real." Ichika answered him with serious eyes. "I get the feeling we'll be having some new arrivals coming just down the line." Before they could continue, Maya enters the classroom with Yukinari and his friends following behind her before stopping in front of everyone.

"Okay everyone, may I have your attention please." Maya said with a smile. "Now I know it's been a week since we had Satoru and Twoearle joining us, but now we've got five more to introduce." She turns her attention to Yukinari's group and introduced them to everyone. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Yukinari Sasaki, Miharu Sena Kanaka, Kirie Kojima, Lisa Fukuyama, Koyomi Hare Nanaka and Tomoka Lana Jude. I hope you guys will treat them well and make them feel welcome." She gestures to her new students to introduce themselves to everyone until all the girls started surrounding Yukinari.

"Oh my gosh! He's just so adorable!" The first girl squealed. "I can't believe there's a boy like him that's this adorable! I just want to put him in my purse and carry him around!"

"Hey, don't hog him all to yourself!" The second girl yelled in annoyance. "I want to take him into my room and use him as a teddy bear!" The girls kept crowding him as his friends all watched while Ichika and his friends felt sorry for him.

"Okay, now I think he has it worse than both of us…" Satoru sighed. "There's now three guys here and these girls are still going nuts for boys arriving here. We might have to protect him from practically everyone here."

"Yeah, no kidding. And it sure won't be easy…" Ichika agrees, sighing as well. "We'd better keep an extra eye on him so that the girls won't get the jump on him." His friends all nodded in agreement until Cecilia noticed something.

"Hey, what's wrong with Yukinari?" Cecilia asked in confusion. "His skin looks like it's acting up. Do you think there's something wrong with him?" Before anyone could answer her, Kirie and the others heard her and realized what was happening.

"Hey, back away from him!" Kirie yelled. "Back up, you're all scaring him!" The girls all heard her and backed away from Yukinari as he was shivering in fear as his skin was acting up as Ichika and the others all rushed over.

"Kirie, what's wrong with Yukinari?" Kanzashi asked in concern and confusion as she looked at Yukinari. "Why is he shaking like that and what's wrong with his skin?"

"Right, we never told you guys about his condition." Kirie said with a sad sigh. "You see, Yukinari has an allergic reaction to girls when he comes into contact with one and breaks into hives. He also has a fear of girls because he was bullied by them back when we were kids, so I often had to protect him from them."

"I see, so he has gynophobia." Satoru nods in understanding. "And in the worst case possible if he breaks into hives just by being close to one. I'll take him to the nurse's office and see if there's a way to lessen his condition." Everyone nodded as he takes Yukinari's hand and leads him to the infirmary while everyone else headed for their desks and continued classes as they normally would.

* * *

Later in the day, class has ended and it was time for everyone to head for home. After leaving the school grounds, Ichika and his friends, along with Yukinari's group, picked up the CPUS from Ichika's house and hopped on a bus and rode it all the way to Nakano while still thinking back on Ichika's vision from last night.

"So Ichika, about this vision you had last night." Twoearle said to him. "You mentioned something about some new arrivals coming in the near future. Do you know who they are or anything of that matter?"

"I'm not sure who they are, but it looked they were in some kind of video game." Ichika answered her as he recounted about what he saw in his dream last night. "But it looked a lot more advanced than the games we've seen. It almost looks like another world all together and these people all looked like they lived in it."

"Wow that sounds like something you'd seen in a sci-fi movie." Kirie whistled. "You'd only expect those kinds of movies to create a kind of world Ichika told us about." Everyone all nodded in agreement.

"And what about the ones you also saw in your vision or the game?" Laura asked him. "Was it like some kind of fantasy world and were the ones you saw were NPCs or the actual players?"

"They weren't NPCs, they were definitely players." Ichika answered her as he looked at the window of the bus. "They interacted with each other, which I'm certain only players would do and not NPCs. As for the game itself, I've only seen one or two areas so I'm not sure what it's supposed to be. But it's definitely a fantasy game with all the monsters and how everyone's dressed as warriors from a fairytale."

"Hmm… That sounds a bit like 4GO." Vert scratched her chin in thought.

"Um… If you don't mind me asking, Miss Vert. What is 4GO?" Kanzashi asked her.

"4GO stands for Four Goddesses Online. It's a popular MMORPG in Gamindusrti like your MMORPGs in this world. I happen to be MVP (Most Valuable Player) in 4GO." Vert smiled.

"She's not kidding, guys." Neptune said cheerfully. "She's the strongest player in 4GO and I even went up against her with my most leveled character and lost."

"I-I see…" Kanzashi sweat dropped.

"Huh, that does sound interesting." Satoru nods in understanding as well as listening to Vert's description of 4GO and how the world Ichika said sounds a bit like the game Vert played in her world. "And after you saw them, that's the reason why you were distracted before, right?"

"Yeah, that's the real reason." Ichika answered him with a nod. "But I'm not even sure when they'll arrive. It could be either when we arrive at Nakano or at some other point, but I can definitely say they'll be needing our help if we ever encounter them."

"Then we'd better be ready in case we do encounter them." Satoru frowned seriously as he adjusted his glasses. "If they encounter any Digimon, I don't think they'll be able to handle them because of how strong some of them are. Once we arrive at Nakano, we'd better head for Kowloon and see if we can find them before any of the more aggressive Digimon do." Everyone nodded in agreement until they've noticed Fukuyama looking depressed.

"Fukuyama, what's wrong?" Kirie asked with a frown and glare. "Why are you all depressed?"

"Oh, why must I be the victim of such torture?" Fukuyama moaned. "I nearly tried to enter the school with an interest of learning, but then I've seen an angel. I tried to talk with her, but I was suddenly attacked by these horrible guards and thrown out of the grounds. And I did nothing to deserve that kind of treatment..."

"Seriously, that's what you're moping about?" Ling asked with an annoyed expression. "I bet the reason you were thrown out was because you were being a pervert again like you did with Blanc before!"

"Don't worry about him, Ling, just ignore my brother." Lisa assured her. "He's done stupid things plenty of times before and it always involves Kirie pile-driving him into the ground. So if he ever does anything stupid again, just let us know and we'll take care of him." Kirie nodded in agreement as she cracks her knuckles and everyone else also nodded and continued on towards Nakano.

* * *

 **Meanwhile...**

* * *

In another part of Kowloon, Kirito and his friends were lying on the floor unconscious after being hit by the earthquake. Just then, Kirito starts to stir as he regains consciousness and opens his eyes to find himself in an unknown area.

"…What happened to us…? Kirito muttered in confusion. "How did we survive that…?" As he picks himself up, he looks around his surroundings until he sees his wife and daughter laying together. "Asuna, Yui!" He runs over to them. "Are you two okay?"

Asuna started to regain consciousness as she opens her eyes to see her husband. "Kirito…? Is that really you…?" She sits up while shaking her head. "What the hell happened to us? And how did we survive that earthquake?" Before Kirito could answer, they looked down to see Yui also regaining consciousness. "Yui! Are you alright? You're not hurt or anything, are you?"

Yui hears her mother as she opens her eyes and looks up to see her parents. "Mommy…? Daddy…? What happened…? I thought we were still in Agil's shop."

"I'm afraid not anymore, Yui." Kirito frowned seriously as he looked around, Kowloon was giving him a tensed feeling. "I don't know what happened, but that earthquake somehow brought us to this place. Do you think you can find out where we are?"

"Yes, I'll see what I can find." Yui answered him with a nod as she started to concentrate to find out about their new location as everyone else also started waking up.

"Ow… what the hell was that…?" Klein groaned in confusion as he rubbed the back of his head to ease the pain. "What was the deal with that earthquake? I didn't think a VRMMORPG could have earthquakes like in the real world."

"Maybe it was some kind of glitch in the system?" Silica guessed as she feels a bit afraid about Kowloon. "Or it could've been some kind of bug that caused the earthquake?"

"I don't think so, but it did send us here somehow." Liz corrected her as she looked around. "Whatever that was, it definitely was not something that normally happens in Aincrad. So does anyone have any idea where the hell we are?"

"Yui's looking into our location right now." Kirito answered her. "We have no idea what had happened to us or how we got here, but that was no ordinary earthquake. Until she finds out where we are, we'll have to wait until then." His sister, wife and friends all nodded in agreement just as Yui ended her concentration.

"What? This can't be right!" Yui gasped in shock. "How is this even possible?"

"Yui, what's wrong? Were you able to find anything?" Asuna asked her in concern.

"That's just it, I couldn't find anything about this area." Yui answered her with a serious frown. "This area isn't part of SAO so I couldn't gather any data. It's like this place was made by someone else."

"Someone else? What do you mean by that, Yui?" Sinon asked her as she tensed. "Who's the one that created this pace we're in?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I can tell this was created by someone with technology just as advanced as SAO." Yui answered her as she began explaining what she knows. "However, I don't even know who that creator is and I can't seem to enter the mainframe from here. Whoever this creator is, he made it so that no outside force could access it so easily."

"Whoa, that just sounds really hardcore." Liz gulped. "I didn't think there'd be someone who could make a system that people'll have a hard time getting in. This guy must be some kind of genius."

"Maybe, but we can't stay here for long." Kirito tensed. "We need to find out if there are other people in this place and see if they can help us get out of here. This won't be easy, but it's the only choice we have so far. Let's get moving and see if we can find anyone here." Everyone nodded in agreement as they began their search for others in Kowloon. Unknown to them, they were being watch by two Digimon. One was a large crab while the other was a giant pink sea creature with the shell of a hermit crab.

"Well well, look at what the cat dragged in." The crab Digimon sneered. "Looks like we've got some trespassers wandering around in a place where they don't belong. I believe it's time we show these interlopers some manners on how not to strut around like they own the place." The hermit crab Digimon nodded in agreement as they both started following Kirito and his friends.

* * *

Back in the real world, Ichika and his friends all arrived at Nakano and headed for the agency. Upon arriving at the office, they see Kyoko sitting at her desk as she was reading a newspaper until she heard them coming and lowers the newspaper to see them.

"Ah, welcome back, my assistants." Kyoko greeted with a smile. "I see you all had a good time at school. So how's the first day at the academy for Yukinari and his friends?"

"It… really didn't end well for them, Kyoko." Ling answered her with a sigh. "We've discovered that Yukinari has an allergic reaction to girls where he breaks into hives when he comes into contact with one. And because of that, Satoru had to take him to the infirmary and was probably there for most of the day until it was time to head for home. Of course, we had to pick up Neptune and her friends at Ichika's house before coming here." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I see, that is a serious condition if he breaks into hives." Kyoko frowned, feeling sorry for Yukinari. "And that's going to be a real problem as the academy only accepts girls with one exception to that rule." Ichika and his friends all nodded as they knew what she was talking about while everyone else were confused as she turns to Yukinari. "But why didn't you tell us about your condition, Yukinari? Was there any reason why you never told us?"

"I'm sorry, but it's something I really don't like talking about..." Yukinari answered her as he slumps in sorrow. "I had a lot of girls bully me when I was a kid because of my small height. I couldn't really do anything because they were much stronger than me, so Kirie always had to save me. And because of that, I developed an allergic reaction to girls for years." Everyone couldn't help but feel sorry for him while Fukuyama didn't care.

"I see, that must've been a horrible thing to you, Yukinari." Vert gave her sympathies while frowning at the girls who bullied Yukinari as a child. "I can't believe that some girls would pick on a boy and cause him to develop an allergic reaction to girls! Just what gives them the right to pick on someone smaller than they are?"

"So that they can be superior, that's what." Kirie answered her, frowning as well while feeling sorry for Yukinari. "They picked on Yukinari because he was smaller than them and made sure they humiliate him as much as possible while also causing him to develop his allergic reaction to us."

"Well, if I find those idiots who caused Yukinari pain, I'll be more than happy to return the favor!" Ling growled in anger as she cracked her knuckles. "I can't stand people who likes to bring others down and make themselves feel superior to them! I can't wait to knock them off their high horse!"

"Save some of that for me, Ling." Noire agrees, frowning angrily as well. "I can't stand bullies myself, so I can't wait to knock their egos down a couple of pegs."

"Ling... Noire... thank you." Yukinari said with a soft smile. "That means a lot to me to have someone like you two, I really appreciate it."

"Hey, I'm glad we could help you, Yukinari." Ling smiled back. "Believe me, I know what it's like to be bullied as a kid. But it's not all bad as Ichika helped me and I guess I fell in love for him. But I'm sure he has feelings for Char, so I'm gonna support them all the way." Her friends all nodded in agreement as both Ichika and Char blushed until their Digivices rang and they answered.

"Agumon, what's the situation?" Ichika asked him while frowning seriously. "Is there another Digimon in trouble?"

"Not this time, Boss. It's a group of humans in trouble!" Agumon answered him. "We've sensed them wandering around Kowloon and are being attacked by two Digimon. I think they're the same people you saw in your vision."

"If that's the case, then we'll head there now." Ichika nods in understanding. "They don't have experience in fighting Digimon, they'll be reduced to data! We have to make sure they're safe!" He ends the call and turns to his friends. "Looks like my vision came true, they really did come here. We'd better head for Kowloon and help them from those two Digimon." Everyone nodded in agreement as he used his Connect Jump to enter the TV.

* * *

As Ichika and the gang arrived in Kowloon, Yukinari's group recovered from their trip through cyber-space. "Whoa… This Connect Jump thing is a lot to handle if Ichika can use it." Kirie murmured as she regain her composure.

"But that was fun. I hope we do it again every time." Miharu smiled cheerfully.

"Um, Ichika. About you and your friends' partners. What are they?" Koyomi asked Ichika.

"Oh right. I guess we haven't told you on what our partners are. Well, they're Digimon, short for Digital Monsters." Ichika smiled.

"Digital… Monsters?" Lisa blinked before gasping in realization. "As in programs?! Wow…"

"Yup. We were surprised too when we first met Agumon back at the hospital's cyber network." Tatenashi grinned as she rubbed Monodramon's head and he likes it. "But we know these lovable critters are more than just programs, they are like us, living and breathing."

"Oh please. Why would anyone be interested in these Digimon things?" Fukuyama scoffed. Renamon heard that and walked up to him, Fukuyama was confused before Renamon socked him in the face, knocking him out, his nose showed blood.

"For your information, you vile pervert, we Digimon have feelings and I will not allow you to insult us..." Renamon said warningly.

"That's enough, Renamon." Cecilia calmed her down. "Anyway, those people from Ichika's vision need our help. So it's time for our Digimon to Digivolve." Satoru was silent for a moment and she noticed this. "Satoru, what's wrong?"

"It's just… All of your partners have digivolved into Champion ranks while Dorumon haven't reached it yet. I'm wondering if I'm cut out to helping you." Dorumon looked at his master in concern.

Suddenly, Twoearle grabbed Satoru and hugged him. "Don't say things like that. You have us and we'll be there always to have your back. So don't you dare say you wonder if you're cut out for this sort of thing. All you have to do is believe and Dorumon can digivolve." Twoearle encouraged him.

"Twoearle…" Satoru whispered softly.

"She's right, Satoru." Ichika smiled. "You have been a big help to us ever since we first met. So we can overcome any bad guy or Digimon that comes our way together." Suddenly, Dorumon started to glow.

 **(Brave Heart Tri plays)**

"You're… You're right! I can't be down! We need to help those people out!" Satoru yelled heroically before turning to Dorumon. "Ready, Dorumon?"

"Dorumon, digivolve to…!" Dorumon started to grow bigger until the growing stopped and the light disappeared. Dorumon now looks like a purple giant beast dragon with purple and white wings and the gem on his head remained unchanged. "Dorugamon!" Dorugamon roared.

"Yeah! Now that's what we're talking about!" Ling cheered. "Now let's go help the people from Ichika's vision!" Soon, the gang's Digimon save for Gatomon digivolved into their Champion forms and went to help the people in Ichika's vision.

* * *

 **With the SAO Players...**

* * *

"Take this!" Asuna yelled as she lashed her rapier at the hermit crab Digimon, but it did no effect on him. "W-What the hell?!"

"Hydro Blaster!" The hermit crab Digimon fired a blast of water that hit Asuna and knocked her back.

"M-Mommy!" Yui gasped in shock.

"Damn it, this is bad…" Liz frowned seriously as she and Klein charged towards the crab like Digimon and tried to bash and slash him, but he easily blocked them and swipe them away.

"You humans ain't half bad, but you're no match for us!" The crab Digimon sneered as he readies an attack. "Crab Meat Bomber!" He flung his attack at the two which hit them for medium damage.

Sinon frowned as she readies her bow and arrow and fired an arrow at the hermit crab Digimon but it did no effect as he turned his attention towards her and Silica and her dragon Pina.

"W-What do we do?!" Silica panicked as Kirito charged towards the hermit crab like Digimon and tried to slash him with his dual swords, but the hermit crab Digimon swipe him away and knocked him to the ground.

"D-Damn it…" Kirito gritted his teeth as the hermit crab like Digimon raised his paw up. 'Is… Is this it…? Am I going to die?'

"Onii-chan!" "Kirito!" Leafa and Phillia gasped in horror. Just as the hermit crab like Digimon was about to deliver the finishing blow to Kirito…

"Horn Impulse!" GeoGreymon's voice yelled as GeoGreymon charged towards the hermit crab Digimon and knocked him away from Kirito.

"What the hell…?" Was all Kirito got to say as Ichika came up and kneed down towards him before looking at GeoGreymon with a smile.

"Nice work, GeoGreymon! I thought we weren't gonna make it." Ichika gave his Digimon partner a thumbs up as GeoGreymon smiles back at his partner.

"W-Who are you?" Kirito asked in confusion before looking at GeoGreymon. "And does this monster belong to you?"

"He's more than just a monster." Ichika gave a smile again. "He's a Digimon!" His smile faded before he looked at the hermit crab Digimon and crab Digimon while Kirito was confused on what he called GeoGreymon an Digimon. "But first thing's first…" He placed his Digivice over his eyes and began scanning the two Digimon. "Shellmon, the Sea Animal Digimon, and Crabmon, the Crustation Digimon. Shellmon is a Champion Digimon while Crabmon is a Rookie Digimon." He turns to GeoGreymon with a smile after placing his Digivice back on his head. "Alright, let's work together with our friends to defeat these guys!"

"Got it, Boss!" GeoGreymon nodded as Ichika's friends and their Digimon including Dorugamon appeared on the scene.

"W-What?! Humans and Digimon working together?!" Crabmon gawked before snarling in fury. "Okay, now let's destroy them, Shellmon! Crab Meat Bomber!" He launched his attack at Gatomon who leaped out of the way. Crabmon sweat dropped/ "Aw nuts!"

"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon launched her attack at Crabmon, shocking him. Crabmon screamed in agony as he was deleted.

Shellmon growled in fury as he yelled out "Drill Shell!" Shellmon launched energy shots at the Digimon, but they evaded them.

"Alright, let's try out some new moves! Cannonball!" Dorugamon yelled as he charged up his mouth and fired an large iron sphere at Shellmon, giving him large damage.

"Fox Tailed Inferno!" Kyubiimon yelled as she launched her attack at Shellmon, giving him medium damage. The SAO players were watching the battle going on.

"Whoa…" Was all Klein could say.

"Holy crap, they are commanding those monsters and beating that other monster!" Liz gasped in shock.

"Cross Combination!" Purple Heart charged towards Shellmon and slashed him five times.

"Sylhet Spear!" Green Heart thrusts her spear at Shellmon, giving him medium damage.

"Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon thrusts his energy attack at Shellmon, giving him bigger damage.

"Hydro Blaster!" Shellmon fired his attack at Leomon, who blocked it with his fists.

"Meteor Wing!" Birdramon launched her attack on Shellmon, giving him medium damage.

"Needle Spray!" Togemon launched her attack at Shellmon, adding in the hurt.

"Strike Fang!" Strikedramon launched his attack at Shellmon, also adding in more damage as well.

"Electro Squall!" Wizardmon yelled as he launched his attack at Shellmon, giving him bigger damage. Shellmon was getting desperate now.

"Spin Shatter!" Shellmon retreated into his shell and spins around, hitting GeoGreymon and Dorugamon for small damage.

"Alright! Let's finish this! Mega Burst!"

"Power Metal!" Dorugamon stands still and charges up, he then fires a more powerful iron sphere from his mouth which combined with GeoGreymon's Mega Burst which hit Shellmon for bigger damage, ending the fight. Shellmon screamed in agony as he was deleted.

After both Crabmon and Shellmon were deleted, our heroes all regrouped with each other as their Digimon partners all returned to their Rookie forms save for Gatomon while the CPUs did the same and celebrated their victory over Shellmon and Crabmon while Kirito's group were all amazed at what they saw.

"Whoa…" Kirito and his friends all gasped in awe.

"How did they do that?" Leafa asked in amazement. "We couldn't even scratch them before, but they could beat them no problem. Do they have more experience in fighting them than us?"

"It's possible, but I can't really say for sure." Sinon answered as she looked at Ichika and his friends carefully. "If we couldn't even harm those monsters and they could, then I don't think we're in Aincrad anymore." Her friends all nodded in agreement as Ichika and his friends walked over to them.

"Hey, are you guys alright?" Ichika asked in concern. "Sorry about that whole ordeal, but we're glad you're all still in one piece." He then holds his hand out to Kirito. "Here, let me help you up. Think you can still stand?" Kirito smiled and nodded as he takes Ichika's hand into his and pulls himself back on his feet. Ichika's friends all did the same for his friends as well.

"Yeah, thanks for your help back there." Kirito smiled in gratitude. "For a minute there, I thought I was done for before you and your friends showed up, we really appreciate it."

"Hey, we couldn't just let you guys being bullied around by those two." Satoru smiled as he crossed his arms. "And thanks to Ichika's vision from last night, we were able to find you all and help you just in time." Everyone all nodded in agreement as Kirito and his friends were all confused.

"Wait, vision? You saw us in a vision?" Asuna asked in confusion. "How were you able to see us and knew we were in trouble?"

"It's a long story, but we can't stay here for long." Ichika answered her as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Who knows when other bad Digimon like those two would show up next. Let's head back to the office, we'll explain on the way." Everyone nodded in agreement as they led Kirito and his friends back to the real world.

* * *

 **Meanwhile...**

* * *

In another part of Kowloon, the same hooded figure from before was laying unconscious on the floor. Just then, two small Digimon came up to him and were looking at him. One was a small blue imp while the other was a green worm as the imp pulls down his hood to reveal his face to them.

"Hey, it's another one of those humans." The imp Digimon muttered in awe. "I wonder what's this one doing here all alone?"

"Do you think he was separated from his friends?" The worm Digimon asked worriedly. "Or maybe they abandoned him and now he's lying here?" Before his friend could answer, the boy started to stir and started them.

"Ugh… what happened to me…?" The boy asked with a groan. "And how did I get here? The last thing I remembered was spying on Kirito and his friends before that earthquake happened." As he looks around his new surroundings, he sees the two Digimon looking at him as all three of them scream. "AHHHH! What the hell are you two? And what do you plan on doing to me?"

"Hey pal, what's with all the screaming?" The imp Digimon countered. "We just found you lying there and this is the thanks we get? You screaming at us and thinking we're gonna do something to you?"

"Huh? You mean you both found me lying here?" The boy asked while blinking.

"Yes, we found you here and thought something might happened to you." The worm Digimon answered with a nod. "We thought you could have been separated by your friends or they just abandoned you."

"I… don't really have any friends…" The boy lowered his head despondently. "No one would want to hang out with me or even talk to me. They'd just ignore me or call me like I'm some kind of freak for no reason. So I never really made any friends before and was always alone."

"Then maybe we can be your first friends." The worm Digimon suggested with a smile. "You see, we're also lost ourselves and have no idea on how we got here. All we could remember is that we had some kind of mission, but that's all we know." The imp Digimon nodded in agreement.

"Then I can help you two find out what your mission was." The boy said with a soft smile. "You two want to be my first friends, so let me help you two regain your memories. That way, we can watch each other's backs and not worry about anything." The two Digimon looked at each other before turning back to him and nodded. "Great, then it's a deal. My name is Kisuragi. So what are your names?"

"I'm Veemon and this is my friend Wormmon." Veemon answered with a smile and thumbs up. "It's nice to meet you, Kisuragi. Let's all become great friends." Wormmon nodded in agreement as Kisuragi smiled now that he's finally found some friends of his own.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next Chapter: The Case of the Missing Person! Arise ExVeemon and Stingmon!**

 **A/n: Sorry it took so long to finish this chapter. Anyway, next up is the first main case from Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth and Ichika and his friends meet and befriended my co-author's SAO OC, Kisuragi. So stay tuned for more updates! Cya!**


	13. The Case of the Missing Person!

**A/N: Heyo. Here is Chapter 13 of Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth IS and after this chapter, it's time for the second anime filler chapter segment with Ranma ½, One Piece and Tenchi Muyo.**

 **Chapter 13: The Case of the Missing Person! Arise ExVeemon and Stingmon!**

* * *

Not long after saving Kirito and his group from Crabmon and Shellmon, our heroes made the trip back to the real world with their new friends in two while also explaining to them about their situation. While on their way back, Ichika and his friends also started telling about the location they're in and how Ichika saw them in his vision.

"Okay, so let's see if what you're telling us is true…" Liz began as she started to piece together what Ichika and his friends told her and the rest of the SAO players. "You're saying that this place we're in is called Kowloon and its part of this huge server called EDEN, right?" Ichika and his friends all nodded in response. "And those monsters that attacked us before are called Digital Monsters or Digimon for short, right?" Ichika and his friends nodded again. "And you saw us in a vision you had last night and came down here because we were in trouble?"

"Yeah, that's the whole story." Ichika answered her with a nod. "We figured you all might need our help after being caught in that earthquake and everything. Of course, we weren't expecting both Crabmon and Shellmon to attack you guys and I was worried we weren't going to make it in time."

"And boy, are we glad you guys did." Klein smiled in relief. "I thought we were as good as dead when those things had us up backed into a corner. If you all haven't showed up when you did, our goose would've been cooked for sure." His friends all nodded in agreement until everyone heard Leafa shouting.

"Hey! What the hell?!" Leafa yelled out in shock as Fukuyama's hands were on her breasts.

"My my, these are some fine breasts you have, my lovely fairy!" Fukuyama squealed pervertedly. "They have just the right amount of squishiness and are just great to hold in the palms of my hands! They could even match with Kirie's in terms of size!" He continues groping her breasts as everyone couldn't help but remain in shock until Kirito makes a move and kicks him away.

"Hey! Back off, you disgusting pervert!" Kirito yelled in fury. "No one dares do that to my sister and gets away with it! If you ever think of doing that to her again, I'll personally send you to hell myself!"

"Hey, what the hell was that about, you bastard?!" Fukuyama growled in anger. "I was having the time of my life with this radiate beauty! What makes you think that you can come between us like that?!" Before Kirito could answer, he felt a presence behind him as Kirie cracked her knuckles.

"Fukuyama… What did I say about groping other girls…?" Kirie warned dangerously. "Looks like I'm gonna have to teach you a lesson!" She then grabs Fukuyama by his shirt and lifts him over her shoulder while shouting "Go do your groping in hell!" And slams him into the floor.

"Well, glad to know there's someone who can put that pervert in his place." Kirito smirked. "Still, if he ever thinks of doing that to Leafa, Asuna, Yui or any of my friends, I'll be more than happy to live up to my promise." He then turns to Leafa. "Hey Leafa, how are you feeling? Think you'll be okay after that?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine after taking some therapy for the next couple of days." Leafa answered him with a relief smile. "Thank you, Onii-chan. I don't know what would've happened if that jerk kept on groping my breasts." Kirito smiled and gave her a thumbs up and she returns the gesture.

"Well, now that that's taken care of and Fukuyama getting his just deserts, let's keep going." Ichika smiled. "There's one more person we want to introduce you guys too and we'll explain everything there." Everyone nodded in agreement as Fukuyama stays on the floor and twitching in pain from Kirie's last attack.

* * *

Back in the real world, Kyoko was sitting at her desk and waiting for Ichika and his friends to return from their rescue mission. As she turns towards the TV, the screen started glowing brightly as she knew they were returning and their mission was successful. Just then, a bright light emits from the screen and appears in the center of the office as Ichika and his friends all materialized along with Kirito's group and Fukuyama who was still in pain.

"Whoa, that sure was one hell of a trip there…" Agil muttered. "I didn't think you could logout from that terminal back in there. Now I know what it feels like to be downloaded." His friends nodded in agreement as they tried to regain their composure.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get used to it later on." Ichika said with a smile. "Believe me, it took us some time to get used to it, but we were able to manage it." His friends all nodded in agreement.

"But how were you able to log out like that?" Liz asked confusedly. "Normally, you need a password and account to log out of anything like that. So how can you do that so easily?" Before Ichika could answer her, Kyoko spoke up for him.

"Let's just say, my assistant has a special ability for him to log out as he did several times before." Kyoko stepped in with a smile before clearing her throat and adding "But for how he has that ability, let's save that explanation for another time. I'm sure you'll be knowing the answers sooner or later." Everyone turned to face her as she looks over to Ichika and his friends. "Welcome back, my assistants. I trust that your mission was a successful one?"

"Yep, we made it to them just in time." Ling answered her with a grin. "We were able to save them just before Crabmon and Shellmon turned them into sushi. And on the plus side, Dorumon was finally able to digivolve into Dorugamon and helped us turn both Crabmon and Shellmon into crab cakes!" Her friends all nodded in agreement.

"I see, I'm glad to hear you and Dorumon were finally able to reach that level, Satoru." Kyoko smiled as Satoru rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I can see you're all getting stronger over the past week and are just about ready for our first real case, but we'll save it for tomorrow." Ichika and his friends all nodded while everyone else were confused. "And on that note, mind telling me who our new guests are?"

"That's a good question, we never really got their names yet." Houki agrees as she rubbed the back of her head nervously as she remembered something important. "We were too busy telling them about Kowloon that we never asked them their names."

"It's alright, we were too focused on your explanation that we didn't ask for your names either." Kirito said with a nod. "And since we're here, now's a good time as any." He then clears his throat as he starts to introduce him and his group. "My name is Kirito, nice to meet all of you and thanks for saving us again. Here's my wife Asuna, our daughter Yui, my sister Leafa, Silica and her dragon Pina, Liz, Sinon, Phillia, Klein and Agil." His wife, daughter, sister and friends all nodded and smiled.

"Wait, you said that Asuna was your wife and Yui's your daughter, right?" Tatenashi asked with wide eyes. "But how can you two be married and have a kid while still in high school?"

"We're not technically married, just married in game." Asuna answered her with a nervous smile. "It's a really long story, but we'll just say that me and Kirito found Yui and took her in as our daughter some time ago. Then after that, the earthquake just appeared out of nowhere and we were sent to Kowloon where we met all of you."

"I see, that does sound interesting to hear." Kyoko murmured while understanding what's going on. "But if that earthquake wasn't a normal phenomena, then something must be up." She then turns to Ichika and his friends. "But for right now, let's worry about that later. Our first priority is to find Kirito and his friends some place to live and where they'll be attending school." She glances over to Agil. "With one exception to that rule, of course."

"Hey, don't mind me. I'm more than capable of living it up myself." Agil said with a smile. "Perhaps I can open up a small cafe for us to hang out and meet up. That way, we can all hang out together."

"I'll have to let management know about that." Kyoko agrees before getting back to the subject at hand. "But right now, we need to find out where everyone else can stay. A hotel's far too expensive, even with the money we receive from cases."

"Hey, maybe they can come to the IS Academy?" Kirie suggested with a smile. "It has plenty of room for them and they can stay at the dorms for attending classes there."

"Not a bad idea, Kirie." Cecilia agrees, smiling as well. "That way, we can always be close together and met up during and after school." She then glances over to Leafa, Yui and Pina. "But Yui's still too young to attend the academy and I'm not sure how people are going to react to a dragon or Leafa's ears. What can we do about that?"

"Hey, I can have Leafa, Yui and Pina stay at my house and let them know its okay to come out." Ichika answered her with a smile as he snapped his fingers with that idea. "But, we may need something to hide both Pina and Leafa's ears so no one would freak out." He turns to face Kyoko. "Hey Kyoko, do you still have that cloak you had me wore when we first met?"

"Yes, it's still in my car in the backseat." Kyoko answered him while understanding Ichika's plan. "So you plan on having Leafa wear the cloak to hide her ears, right?"

"Yeah, that's the plan. She'll be wearing the cloak to hide her ears." Ichika answered her with a nod. "But how are we going to hide Pina? Silica can't just carry her around, people might freak out for seeing a real dragon."

"I know, I can buy a bag that's big enough for her to fit in." Char suggested. "I can take Silica shopping to find a bag for Pina to hide in and is big enough for her. That way, no one would be scared of Pina and she'll be safe."

"Then it's settled, that's our plans for tonight." Kyoko smiled in agreement. "I'll let management know about Agil's cafe being stationed here while Char and Silica can go shopping for a bag for Pina. And once everything's set, we'll close up for the night. So all of you can take the rest of the day off, you all earned it." Everyone nodded and left the office to get everything set up for their new friends.

* * *

 **A little later**

* * *

"Hey, thanks a lot for giving us a place to stay." Kirito smiled as he and his friends looked around, paying no mind to the odd looks people are giving him and his friends. "It's been a long time since we've been in the real world, so we really appreciate your kind gesture. But it feels kinda weird to be back in the real world like this after being trapped for two years." HIs sister, wife and friends all nodded in agreement while everyone else were confused.

"Hold on, what do you mean by trapped for two years, Kirito?" Ling asked in confusion. "Did something happen to you guys before arriving in Kowloon?"

"Yeah, but it's a really long story to tell." Asuna answered her with a sad frown. "Before coming here, we were trapped inside a game called Sword Art Online with several other players also trapped inside. And because we're all trapped inside the game, we have to make sure we don't lose all our HP because if you die in there, you die for real."

"What?!" Everyone gasped in shock.

"Yeah, that's exactly what we thought when we discovered we were trapped in the game." Liz agreed, frowning sadly as well. "Unfortunately, not a lot of people took it very well and decided to remove their Nerve Gears to logout of the game. But because they were now wired to our brains, removing it would also result in death."

"But who in the right mind would be sick enough to trap all of you in the game?" Houki asked with an angry frown. "What does he have to gain for keeping every player inside and removing this Nerve Gear just results in death?"

"If I had to guess, it's to have power over everyone and be like a god." Sinon answered her, sharing Houki's angry frown. "The Gamemaster, the one responsible for trapping us, is the person we must defeat in order for us to escape from the game. He told us that if we can clear all 100 floors and beat the final boss, then we'll be released from that virtual hellhole."

"There's also something about the Gamemaster…" Asuna frowned seriously. "He was masquerading as a player and he was someone I once trusted and was the former guild leader of the guild Kirito and I joined, the Knights of the Blood Oath, His name? Heathcliff whose real name is Kayaba Akihito. When we found out, Heathcliff said that if we want to be freed, we must defeat him since he is also the final boss of the game we're gunning for. He said that after we defeated the 75th Floor's boss and when he revealed his true colors."

"What a creep…" Ram frowned seriously as she pounded her fists in anger. "This Heathcliff guy who is the creator of that game you and your friends are trapped in was toying with your lives and killing off innocent players for his amusement?! He's lower than low!"

"Kirito-san fought Heathcliff and won, but we still couldn't log out despite Kirito-san's victory against Healhcliff, so here we are now, trying to reach the 100th floor to fight the final boss and head home." Silica explained.

"But it got interrupted when that earthquake happened and you all ended up in Kowloon where we found you, right?" Satoru asked.

"Yeah, that's the gist of the story." Kirito answered him with a nod. "We've just cleared the 79th floor and saved Phillia from the Hollow Area, so we've decided to take a break from fighting for a while. But then that earthquake happened and we ended in Kowloon where you all saved us from those… what were they called again?"

"They're called Digimon, short for Digital Monsters." Laura answered him. "Those are the creatures you saw us fighting against with our partners who are also Digimon. We've been fighting the evil ones for the past week and it's only now that everyone has digivolved into their Champion forms, expect for Gatomon."

"I gotta admit, you guys sure are something else." Klein said with a smile. "Not only you took on those Digimon things, but you've been fighting them for over a week. Boy, are we lucky you guys came in when you did." His friends all nodded in agreement. "Speaking of which, you guys never told us your names yet. We've already told you ours, but we still don't know yours."

"You're right, we never did properly introduced ourselves yet." Cecilia agrees with a smile. "I suppose we were too distracted by your story that we forgot all about it. Well, better late than never. Ichika, would you please?"

"I'd be glad to, Cecilia." Ichika answered her with a smile as well. "I'll be more than happy to properly introduce us to our new friends." He takes a deep breath and clears his throat. "Well, my name is Ichika Orimura. And they're my friends, Houki Shinonono, Cecilia Alcott, Charlotte Dunios, Laura Bodewig, Huang Lingyin and the Sarashiki sisters, Tatenashi and Kanzashi." He then turns to everyone else. "And they're the friends we've met during our first week, Neptune, Nepgear, Noire, Uni, Blanc, Rom and Ram, Vert, Yukinari Sasaki, Miharu Sena Kanaka, Kirie Kojima, Lisa Fukuyama, Koyomi Hare Nanaka and Tomoka Lana Jude." The friends in question all waved or smiled at the newcomers before they noticed something.

"Hey, wasn't there one more with you guys?" Agil asked in confusion. "That perverted idiot who was groping Leafa's unmentionables?" Before anyone could answer, the door to the agency opened up as Fukuyama comes flying out and lands on the floor face first with Kyoko standing at the door.

"Nice try, but don't think you can take advantage of me." Kyoko smirked as she dusted her hands. "I'm not the kind of woman who likes someone for their money or conceded attitude, but someone who sees the person for who they are. If you think you can get any girl like that, then those bimbos are just as shallow as you." She closes the door as everyone else were trying to comprehend what just happened.

"Whoa… that is one tough woman right there…" Klein winced. "I didn't think she'd be the kind who can kick someone out her door. Remind me to never get on her bad side."

"Too late, someone else already did." Satoru said with a sigh. "A certain someone called her a stripper because of the way she's dressed and even called her an old lady. So let's make sure that doesn't happen again." Everyone all turned to Tomoka who was sweating bullets.

"Anyway, let's show them around Nakano." Twoearle said with eyes closed and a nervous smile, changing the subject. "Since they'll be with us now, it's best to show them everything Nakano has to offer." Everyone nodded in agreement and started the tour around Nanako Broadway.

* * *

As the tour started, Ichika and his friends showed Kirito's group and Yukinari's group around Nakano and everything it has to offer. As they explore each of the floors, Kirito's group and Yukinari's group were shown the different shops and restaurants around Nakano and even found some of their favorites. There was an anime store for Klein, a book store for Sinon, a bakery for both Silica and Miharu and a doll shop for Kirie. Once the tour was over, everyone was resting at the foodcourt on the 3rd floor before heading back to the agency on the 1st floor.

"I gotta say, this place sure is something else." Klein smiled as he ate his food. "I didn't think a place like this would have so much personality and charm. It almost makes me not want to leave here."

"A lot of people say the same thing, so you're not alone there." Satoru also smiled as he explained. "And that's just what makes Nakano so special to people, it's so simple yet it has a lot of personality that you won't find anywhere else. Many people here are really nice and are always happy to see new and old faces. Others can be a little quirky at times, but they're still all good people."

"It's true, I've been with him and Kyoko since last month and there's always something new here in Nakano." Twoearle agrees, smiling as well. "Nakano may look like your everyday shopping center, but it has a certain charm that not a lot of people see. It's something you have to see for yourself and that is an experience itself." She then turns her attention to Satoru and hugs him. "Of course, the best experience for me was meeting my little detective here and I don't regret it one bit." Satoru couldn't help but blush while everyone else smiled at them expect for Fukuyama who was still grumbling to himself.

"Well, those two sure are really close." Asuna smiled in approval. "I can tell she really likes him and I'm sure he does too. Of course, he's probably too shy to admit it." Everyone all nodded in agreement as Satoru blushed even brighter from her statement.

"Reminds me how we were when we were first married, Asuna." Kirito said with a smile. "I still remember the day like it was only yesterday with meeting Yui thrown into the mix." He then hugs both his wife and daughter while they hugged him back.

"Speaking of which, it's about time we head back to the office." Ichika reminded everyone. "I'm sure Kyoko has everything set for Agil to set up shop here and the paperwork for Kirito and his friends to attend the IS Academy and we'll be heading out before Nakano closes for the night. I'm sure she'll have a lot to say to us before everything closes up."

"But before we do, we might need to get Kirito and his friends some new clothes." Cecilia suggested. "I don't think it'll be safe to walk around in armor and weapons and I'm not sure how people would react to their appearance." Kirito and his friends all looked at their clothing and realized she was right.

"She's right, we're no longer in SAO anymore." Sinon agrees with her while looking at her armor. "We're gonna be needing some clothes if we're going to be living here now. We can't go around with our armor and weapons."

"Then let's head for the clothes store back on the 2nd floor." Kanzashi suggested with a smile. "I'm sure they'll have some clothes for all of you, but we might have to make several trips. It's going to take at least another week to get all the clothes you need for your stay here."

"You go on ahead, I'm gonna be helping Silica." Char told everyone as she nodded to Silica and she nodded back. "We need to find a bag for Pina to hide in, so that no one would get scared of her."

"Okay, we'll meet up at the office later." Ichika agreed. "Let us know when you find the right one for Pine before Nakano closes for the night." Char and Silica nodded and got up from their seats as they headed for a pet store while everyone else headed down to the 2nd floor to buy clothes.

Not long after splitting up with Char and Silica, our heroes headed for a clothes store on the 2nd floor to buy clothes for Kirito and his friends to blend in while living their new lives. Ichika, Satoru, Kirito, Yukinari, Klein and Agil headed for a men's clothes store and making sure Fukuyama doesn't do anything perverted while the girls do the same for Asuna, Liz, Leafa, Sinon, Yui and Phillia.

* * *

 **With the boys**

* * *

"Hey Kirito, try these on." Ichika said with a smile while showing him a black shirt and pants. "Since your armor's black, you can get this as your everyday clothes." He tosses the shirt and pants over to Kirito and he catches them.

"Thanks, Ichika. I'll try these on now." Kirito said in gratitude as he enters the changing room to try on his new clothes.

"Hmmm… Let's see what we've got here… " Satoru was browsing through some clothes on a rack before finding some he was looking for Agil. "Hey, these'll do great." He grabs some larger clothes from the rack and hands them over to Agil. "Here, try these on, Agil. These might look good on you."

"Not a bad idea, kiddo. Thanks a bunch." Agil smiled as he enters the second changing room and puts on the clothes Satoru gave him.

A few minutes later, both Kirito and Agil stepped out of the changing rooms in their new clothes and showed off to their friends and looking in the mirror as the store clerk checks up on them.

"Well gentlemen, how are things here?" The clerk asked with a smile. "I trust you were able to find everything you needed?"

"Yes ma'm, we've found everything we needed." Satoru answered her with a smile. "And I think we're about ready to pay now." His friends all nodded in agreement while Fukuyama was still grumbling to himself.

"Perfect, then I'll be waiting for you at the front desk." The clerk said with a smile. "Come find me whenever you are ready." The boys all nodded as she headed back to the cash register.

For the next hour, Ichika, Satoru and Yukinari helped Kirito, Klein and Agil search for clothes and decided that was enough for now. After finding everything they needed for Kirito, Klein and Agil, they paid with the money Matayoshi gave them for both arrests and started heading back to the agency.

* * *

 **With the girls**

* * *

Around the same time, the girls were buying also buying clothes for Asuna, Leafa, Liz, Yui and Phillia while also deciding to buy clothes for Silica at another time. After trying on some clothes and debating which of them were cuter, the girls payed for all the clothes and started heading back to the office.

"Whew, I didn't think the line would take that long." Liz sighed. "There sure were a lot of a lot of people shopping there as well. Was there a sale going on?"

"Not really, it's actually how low the prices are here than in other department stores." Twoearle answered her. "Items here are a lot easier to buy because you won't break the bank here and your wallet. That's one of the reasons why people shop at Nakano the most than other stores or shopping centers."

"Wow, you sure weren't kidding, Twoearle. Nakano does have its own charm." Asuna gasped and smiled in awe. "Now I can see what you meant before, Nakano has its own charm that you need to experience for yourself and we're starting to get it. I get the feeling we'll be seeing more of what Nakano has to offer." Her friends all nodded in agreement.

"Speaking on which, let's head back to the office." Houki suggested. "Char, Silica and the boys might be done with their shopping and are already with Kyoko by now. Let's see what she has to say to us." Everyone nodded and headed back to the agency on the 1st floor.

* * *

 **With Char and Silica**

* * *

Also around the same time as the other two groups, Char and Silica were in a pet shop searching for a bag for Pina to hide in and staying close to her master.

"Hmm… Now what kind of bag we should get for Pina?" Silica pondered as she looked at the bags. "There are so many bags to choose from, I don't even know where to start looking."

"I'm sure we'll find one for Pina." Char assured her. "Let's start looking around, we'll find the one you might like." Silica nodded in agreement as they started their search.

For the next few minutes, both Char and Silica were searching through all around the store for the right bag for Pina. After searching through the store, Silica finds a bag the same color as Pina and takes it from the shelf as they headed for the cash register for Char to pay for her new bag.

"Thank you, Char. I really appreciate you buying this bag for me." Silica smiled in gratitude. "Now we won't have to worry about everyone freaking out from seeing Pina. You really helped us out." Pina squeaks in agreement, but quietly to make sure no one heard her.

"You're both welcome, Silica and Pina." Char smiled as she closed her eyes. "I'm glad I could help you find a bag for Pina. Let's head back to the office, the others might be already done with their shopping." Silica nodded in agreement as they headed back to the agency on the 1st floor.

* * *

 **A little later**

* * *

Kyoko was sitting at her desk and talking on her cellphone with someone until the door opens up. She sees Ichika and the gang entering the office with shopping bags just as she finished talking on her phone and hangs up.

"Hey Kyoko, we're back from our tour and shopping." Ling greeted with a wave. "We've bought a lot of clothes for Kirito and his friends with the money Matayoshi gave us. Now we know what to do with them if we ever do a case." Her friends all nodded in agreement while the CPUs, Yukinari's group and Kirito's group were confused. "By the way, who were you talking to on your phone before?

"That was the manager of Nakano I was speaking to." Kyoko answered her with a smile "I told him about Agil wanting to open up a cafe here and he agreed to the idea. But since Nakano's closing in two hours, he'll want to see Agil first thing tomorrow morning in his office." Agil nodded as she continued. "Also, I called the academy about some new students attending and they've agreed to allow Kirito and his friends to attend classes with Ichika and the others."

"Perfect, we can get rooms for them at the dorms." Ling smiled as she placed her hand on her hips. "I'm sure they'll be comfortable, but both Kirito and Klein may need to be on the lookout." Her friends all knew what she was talking about while Kirito's group were confused.

"Be on the lookout? For what exactly?" Klein asked in confusion while blinking. "What's got you so worried that we need to be on the lookout?"

"Trust us, you'll find out when you get there tomorrow." Ichika answered with a nervous smile and closed nervous eyes.

"In any case, I'd say we're done for the day." Kyoko nodded. "We have something very important tomorrow, so get some rest to regain your energy." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Now with that settled, how about I pour some coffee for you? It's good for what awaits you after your run in with those two Digimon."

"AHHHHH!" Ichika and his friends all screamed in terror.

"Sure, we can go for some coffee." Kirito said while smiling in gratitude. "It's been a long time since we've had any, so I'm excited for what you have in mind." Kyoko nodded and gets up from her desk as she goes to brew some coffee.

"Not again, it's another of her special coffee!" Noire gulped as she showed the white dotted eyes and sweat drop. "Now they're going to feel the horrible taste we've all felt before! We've got to get them out of here before it's too late!"

"What are you guys talking about over there?" Liz asked in confusion. "What's so bad about her coffee? It's not like it's going to kill us or anything."

"You don't understand, that coffee's not like any from this world!" Vert reasoned with a panicked expression. "She adds in ingredients you wouldn't see anyone add in coffee ever! If you know what's good to you, you'd all leave now while you still can!"

"Come on, you guys are just overreacting." Asuna dismissed her. "I'm sure her coffee was a more adult taste to you and your tastebuds aren't up for its more refine flavor." Before anyone could say anything, Kyoko comes back with some coffee and gives it to each of them.

"Here you go, wasabi and red paste coffee. Something I'm working on." Kyoko said with a smile. "It's still in the testing phase, so I need your opinions on how it tastes. Go on, don't be shy." Kirito and his friends all looked at the coffee as it swirls with a strange aroma coming from it.

"Well, here goes nothing... Bottoms up..." Kirito gulped as he and his friends all drank the coffee.

"Well, how does it taste?" Kyoko asked with a smile. "Was it very good?" Before any of them could answer, they all feel on the floor with a loud crash, all except for Yui. "Hmm, I guess its back to the drawing board again. Maybe I need to add some hot mustard to it." Everyone else just looked at her and sweat dropped. Yui however, was enjoying the coffee.

"This is amazing, Miss Kuremi." Yui smiled as she drank the coffee. "Mommy and Daddy haven't tried this flavor before but I am liking this flavor since it is my first time drinking coffee."

"Glad you like it, Yui." Kyoko closed her eyes and smiled. "And you don't have to be formal. Just Kyoko will do."

"What the…" Twoearle spoke first with eyes widen.

"…hell?" Satoru finished with the blank white shocked eyes.

* * *

Not long after recovering from Kyoko's coffee, our heroes were riding the bus back home to rest up for something important as Kyoko mentioned. Needless to say, Kirito and his friends started regretting their decision to drink her coffee and ignoring their friends' warnings about it as Ichika and the gang were really disappointed with them.

"So what was that you were saying about us overreacting?" Noire asked with a sneer. "And saying our tastebuds weren't ready for its more refine flavor? Seems to me that Yui here is the most adult out of all of you while her own parents and their friends are the real children."

"Okay, we get it! You've made your point!" Liz fumed as she rubbed her temples in frustation. "We were idiots for not listening to your warnings and drank her coffee and we paid the price for it. Still, I can't believe she actually added wasabi and red paste into coffee! I mean, who does that with coffee?"

"Yeah, sorry about that, guys." Satoru apologized as he sighed in exhaustion. "She always had this weird fascination of adding strange ingredients to her coffees. She's even planning on having one of them on the market if she can find a way to perfect it." Everyone except for Yui shuddered at the thought of Kyoko's coffee being on the market and the catastrophic results upon release. Satoru then turns to Yui. "But what I don't get is how Yui didn't get affected by the coffee while everyone else did?"

"That's the thing, Yui's not entirely human." Kirito answered him. "Remember what we said about me and Asuna finding her?" Everyone nodded as Kirito continued. "Well, we've also found out that Yui's also an AI program in SAO and was tasked to monitor all the players trapped in the game." Everyone gasped in shock as Yui nodded to confirm with her father.

"But she looks more like a normal human than an AI program…" Laura muttered in shock. "So who was the person that made her to be more like a human and tasked her to monitor the players?"

"It was Heathcliff who created her when he was creating SAO, but she did end up leaving her position and we found her on one of the floors where we made her our daughter." Asuna answered as she explained with a sad frown. "But we could tell she was tormented seeing most of the players being killed and couldn't take it anymore. Mostly by their own accord, by other players who enjoy being the bad guy or being overpowered by the monsters." Everyone couldn't help but feel sad for the players being trapped in a virtual prison and wanting to kill themselves just to escape until the bus stops at its destination.

"Well, here's our stop." Satoru said with a smile. "Kyoko-nee did say about something important to tell us, so let's get some sleep for tomorrow. We might be in for our first big case to find any information on Kamishino Enterprises." Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Kirito's group, as he and Twoearle exited the bus and it continues on.

* * *

Not long after dropping off Satoru and Twoealre, Ichika got off at his destination along with Yui, Leafa, Pina and the CPUs. Upon arriving at his house, he opens the front door and enters his house while also Yui, Leafa and Pina saying goodbye to Kirito, Asuna and Silica until tomorrow.

"Wow, you've got a pretty big house, Ichika." Leafa smiled as she looked around in awe. "The house me and Kirito live in is just as big. Do you live here by yourself?"

"Not really, my older sister also lives here." Ichika answered her with a smile. "Right now, she's on a business trip and won't be back for 2 months. So until then, I basically have the house to myself." He then unzips the bag to let Pina out as she spreads her wings and lands on his shoulders. "So Pina, how do you like my home so far?" Pina gave him a squeak to answer as he smiled. "Glad you think so, but you'll have to lay low here until I give you, Yui and Leafa the okay." Pina nodded in agreement as he petted her head and she liked it.

"Mr. Ichika, where are we going to sleep?" Yui asked him. "From what I can see, there's not that much room here in the living room and there are three other rooms in the house."

"Since Neptune and her friends are sleeping here, you three can sleep in the guest room." Ichika answered her. "We didn't use it a lot except for certain occasions, but it could work for you. Now why don't you head upstairs and freshen up, I can get the room ready by the time you're done." He then pats Yui's head and ruffles her hair. "And also, you don't have to be formal, Yui. Just Ichika is fine." Yui smiled and giggled at him.

"Okay, thanks a lot, Ichika." Leafa said in gratitude as she and Yui headed up stairs to the bathroom while Pina stays with Ichika and helps him get the room ready.

For the next few minutes, both girls were taking a shower together and having fun while Ichika was getting the guest room ready with the help from Nepgear, Rom, Ram and Uni while their older sisters watched TV. As soon as the room was ready, Leafa and Yui got out of the shower and dried off before putting on some robes left for them by Nepgear and heading downstairs.

"Hey, you two. Glad to see you're both all cleaned up." Vert greeted with a smile. "Ichika and the others just finished with the room, so it should be ready." Leafa and Yui both nodded and headed for the guest room to meet with Ichika.

As the girls entered the guest room, Ichika turns to them and smiled. "Hey girls, nice to see you're all freshen up. And the room's ready for you girls to use whenever you're ready." The CPU Candidates all nodded in agreement while Pina flies over to Yui and lands in her arms.

"Thanks, Ichika. We really appreciate you letting us stay here." Leafa closed her eyes and smiled. "You and your friends done so much for us in one day, I don't even know how to thank you enough."

"There's no need, we're just happy to help." Ichika smiled as he placed his hand on his hip. "When you told us about your situation, we couldn't just let someone like this Heathcliff guy have his way with innocent people like he's god. Kirito said he defeated him back in the 75th floor, but I doubt that's the case. So if we do find him, we'll help you guys defeat him and save all those innocent people he's trapped in his virtual prison." Leafa and Yui nodded in agreement as they all started yawning. "Well, it's time we headed for bed. It's your brother's first day at our school, Leafa." Everyone nodded in agreement as everyone all headed for bed for Kirito and his friends' first day at school save for Leafa and Yui.

* * *

The next morning, sunlight was shining through the closed curtains as it stretches across the room to the bed where Leafa, Yui and Pina were sleeping. As the sunlight hits Leafa's face, she starts to stir as she opens her eyes and yawns while stretching her arms above her. She then looks to her side to see Yui sleeping close to her with Pina in her arms as she smiles and strokes her hair.

"Ya know, you sleep a lot like Oni-chan, Yui." Leafa said with a soft smile. "I can see where you got that from. Still, I'm happy to have a niece as cute as you, Yui." She then looks at the clock on the nightstand. "Well, it's time for me to get up now. Today's the day Oni-chan and the others attend Ichika and his friends' school while me and Yui stay behind." She slowly gets off from the bed as to not wake up and headed for the door.

After exiting the room, Leafa walks down the hall and through the living room until she reaches the kitchen where the CPUs were having breakfast. They all turned to see Leafa entering the kitchen and all greeted her.

"Hey, look who woke up on the right side of the bed." Neptune said with a smile. "If it isn't Leafa, our resident busty blonde elf. So how was yours and Yui's sleep? I can tell by your smile it was relaxing."

"You're right, it was relaxing, Neptune." Leafa agrees with a nod. "It's been a long time since I've slept in a real bed, I almost forgot how it feels like. I guess being in a virtual world is to blame for that." She then looks around for Ichika, but he's nowhere to be seen. "Hey, where's Ichika? I thought he'd still be here."

"He had to leave for school because he was already late." Vert answered her "He told us to wait for you and Yui to wake up and make you some breakfast. He'll be back later in the afternoon to get us when school ends." Her fellow CPUs all nodded in agreement as Yui walks into the kitchen while rubbing her eyes.

"Leafa… where did you go…?" Yui asked with a yawn. "When I woke up, you weren't in bed… I thought you might've left." Pina yawns as well while trying to wake up as Leafa walks over to her and pets her head.

"Sorry, Yui, I didn't mean to leave you behind." Leafa apologized. "I didn't want to wake you up because you were still sleeping. But now that you're awake, let's have some breakfast while we wait for Ichika and the others." Yui nodded in agreement as they sat at the table and had breakfast with the CPUs

* * *

Meanwhile at the IS Academy, Ichika had made it just in time before Maya was about to introduced new students again and he already knew who they were. As he sits at his desk, Twoearle was yawning loudly and had bags under her eyes as everyone turned to her.

"Whoa, what happened to you, Twoearle?" Ling asked in concern. "You looked like you haven't slept in days."

"That's because I haven't, Ling." Twoearle said tiredly. "I've been pulling all-nighters for the past week on something and I've just finally finished them. I'll show them to all of you guys when we head for Nakano." Everyone nodded and turned their attention to Maya as she clears her throat.

"Alright, everyone, you all know the drill by now." Maya said with a smile. "We've got some new students attending our school, so I hope you'll all treat them with respect." Everyone nodded as she turned to the door and gestured to come in as Kirito and his friends all entered the room. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Kazuto Kirigaya, Asuna Yuuki, Shino Asada, Ryoutaro Tsuboi, Keiko Ayano, Rika Shinozaki and Phillia Kotone. They'll be joining us from another school as part of an exchange program and as part of our program, so they'll be with us for the remainder of the year." She then turns to Kirito and nodded at him as he nodded back and steps forward.

"It's true, me and my friends are here as part of both programs from our school and yours." Kirito agrees with a smile. "Our Principal had to pick seven students to come here and he chose us to be part of the programs. I hope we can get along nicely." He and his friends all bowed to them as all the girls just looked at them. Suddenly, without warning, the girls except for the IS girls, Yukinari's female friends and Twoearle rushed towards him and Klein and crowded them.

"Whoa! A cute guy with black hair!" A female student squealed happily.

"And check out the male hottie with the bandana! It has a unique design!" Another female student cooed.

"And I thought Ichika-san was the only one with black hair!" Another female student squealed as hearts appeared on the female student's eyes.

"Whoa, what the hell?!" Kirito gawked in shock as his female friends looked at the girls crowding him and Klein.

"L-Ladies, please! We need some breathing room!" Klein panicked with white dotted eyes.

"Hey!" Asuna yelled in anger as she and Liz managed to get Kirito and Klein out from the crowd of girls while clutching to Kirito and glaring fiercely at the female students. "He's my boyfriend and there's no way in hell I will allow you to take him away from me!" That made the female students determined to make Kirito and Klein theirs while also trying to win Satoru and Yukinari's hearts.

"Um… Was this what Ichika-san was talking about?" Silica stammered.

"I think so. I didn't think the female student body of this school are boy crazy." Sinon muttered, feeling sorry for Kirito and Klein.

"Man, those two have it worse than you, Ichika, Satoru, Yukinari." Tatenashi winced. Ichika, Satoru and Yukinari sighed and nodded in agreement.

"I'm starting to think this has become a running gag or something…" Houki made a deadpan face.

* * *

Later that afternoon after class has ended, Ichika and his friends picked up Leafa, Yui, Pina and the CPUs and headed for Nakano to meet up with Kyoko and Agil. While on their way to Nakano, Kirito and Klein were breathing sighs of relief from all the girls trying to get their attention throughout the day and are glad to finally relax.

"Whew, that was a close one..." Klein wheezed. "For a second there, I thought we weren't going to make it out alive." He then turns to Ichika, Satoru and Yukinari. "Is that what you meant before, Ichika? All those girls crowding over us like that?"

"Yeah, that's what I meant to you guys yesterday." Ichika answered him with a sheepish grin. "The reason why we never told you about our school is because it only accepts girls who can pilot an IS, the armors you saw during one of our classes. The school was built to train girls to use the IS to help others and It gave woman a seat on the government until EDEN came along and restored men's seat of power, but women were allowed to govern alongside them."

"But if that's the case, how come you were the only guy there before Satoru, Yukinari, Kirito and Klein?" Kirie asked him curiously. "Were you given some kind of special treatment to attend that school?"

"Something like that along those lines." Ichika answered her as good memories of him attending the IS Academy for the first time came flooding back into him. "And while most of it has to do with my sister being one of the teachers, but the real reason I attended the school was because I was the only male who can also pilot an IS. But because I was the only guy and it only accepted girls until now, all the girls there are a little boy crazy as you all just saw."

"Yikes, that sounds rough for you, Ichika-san." Silica gulped. "I didn't think there'd be girls who haven't seen a boy before and just go crazy at the first sight of one. It was probably hard for you to not draw attention to them because you're the only boy before Satoru-san, Kirito-san, Yukinari-san and Klein-san came in."

"Yeah, but it wasn't all bad after some time." Ichika said while closing his eyes and smiled. "Despite all the times the girls tried to get my attention, mostly Houki and the others, but I still had some good moments there. So while the first day may be rough, just know that everything will get better down the line. That I can promise you guys." Everyone nodded in agreement as they continued their bus ride to Nakano.

* * *

Half an hour later, our heroes arrived at Nakano and got off the bus before heading inside to meet up with Agil and Kyoko. Upon arriving at the agency, they saw Kyoko and Agil talking to each other until they noticed Ichika and the gang entering the office.

"Ah, welcome back, everyone." Kyoko greeted with a smile. "Glad to see you're all here just in time. So how was the first day for Kirito and the others?"

"Well… it was eventful, to say the least." Silica answered with a sigh. "The school was incredible when we first arrived, but when we were introduced to the other students, they all jumped on Kirito and Klein and started crowding them. Asuna and Liz had to pull them away from the girls before class started."

"I see, looks like that's the third time it happened." Kyoko said with an amused chuckle. "Though considering the school itself only accepted girls, it only makes sense how they would react to meeting boys for the first time. Still, you'll just have to deal with the fact you boys are in a school made to train girls." Everyone nodded in agreement before looking at Ichika. "In any case, there's something important I want to tell all of you."

"What it is, Kyoko?" Ichika asked in confusion. "What's this important thing you want to tell us?"

"Well, this involves your body, my dear assistant." Kyoko answered him as he gasped. "I'm going to have you and everyone hit the streets. I want to see how well your digital self can blend in, in the real world. The final stage in your testing. Also, I need all of you to go around Shinjuku asking questions. You might find yourself the topic of rumors. People saw you looking like that, after all."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that." Ichika rubbed the back of his head nervously. "That was where I ended up in the middle of the street and met you not long after."

"Yes, that's the place, Ichika." Kyoko said with a nod. "And while you're doing that, I'll clean my affairs. I've got to make a report on my investigation to Detective Matayoshi. He wants me to make a follow up from our last investigation at the hospital."

"Okay, we'll head for Shinjuku then, Kyoko." Ichika said with a nod. "We'll ask people around and see if we can find any kind of rumor going on." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Good, I'll be counting on all of you." Kyoko smiled "I'll be sure to let you know when I'm done on my end or if anything new comes up." Everyone nodded before she just remembered something. "Oh, I forgot one more important thing."

"What's that, Kyoko?" Ichika asked again.

"It's about your sister, Chifuyu." Kyoko answered him. "It was a blessing in disguise that she's working abroad for so long. She was about to come back when she heard you were sick, but I told her you were released from the hospital at the last minute. But you should contact her and reassure her you're okay."

"Yeah, I should probably let her know." Ichika agrees with a nod. "Knowing her, she's probably worried about that something bad might've happened to me. But she's just like that because she cares for me." He reaches into his pocket to take out his cellphone and dials his sister's number. After ringing for a few seconds, Chifuyu answers on the other line.

"Ichika, is that really you?" Chifuyu asked in concern. "I heard you were sick in the hospital, so I was about to head back to Japan until Kyoko told me you were released. Are you hurt? Did something happened to you while you were meeting with your friends?"

"Chifuyu-nee, I'm all right now. Honest, I really am." Ichika answered her with a small smile. "It really wasn't that big of a deal." He turns to Kyoko and winks at her as she winked back. "It was thanks to Kyoko and everyone that I was able to recover quickly, so the doctors decided to let me leave."

"I see, that's good to here." Chifuyu sighed in relief. "Well, I'm relieved to hear you're doing all right, Ichika." She then looks at her watch. "Listen, I have an important meeting to go to, so I might not be around to take your next call. Call me whenever you can and I'll be back by the end of May."

"Okay then, see you soon, Chifuyu-nee." Ichika ends the call and puts his cellphone back into his pocket before turning to Kyoko.

"So, how was she doing?" Kyoko asked "I trust that everything's okay with you two?"

"Yeah, she was a little worried but I told her everything's alright." Ichika answered her with a smile of relief. "She's heading for a meeting right now, so it'll be a while to contact her again."

"Hmm, it seems like there are no problems." Kyoko said, smiling back. "It's good to know that you've put her at ease. She'll probably call again. I'll leave your big sister to you. Handle her well, That's your duty as her little brother." Ichika nodded. "Speaking of duties, it calls! Head to Shinjuku."

"Got it, we'll head for Shinjuku now." Ichika agreed. "We'll let you know if we find anything there." His friends all nodded in agreement. In Ichika's thoughts. 'I hate lying to you, Chifuyu-nee, but I got to figure out what's going on and save not only myself, but the EDEN Syndrome victims.'

"Good, I'll be waiting for your return." Kyoko said with a smile. "I'll be doing things on my end, so I'll be expecting your findings. Cyber Sleuths, assemble!" Everyone nodded in agreement before heading out to Shinjuku.

* * *

After riding the bus for half an hour, our heroes all arrived in the Shinjuku district. Around them were different shops and restaurants with people coming in and out. In the center of the district was a large area where people are walking around and an access point for EDEN and the Digilab.

"Here we are, everyone. Shinjuku district." Ichika said with a smile as he and his friends looked around. "This is where I returned back to the real world after meeting my online friends for the first time." He then looks at his hands. "Although, it was a lot different from a week ago. Back when my body was nothing more than a cluster of data." Satoru and Twoearle both knew what he was talking about while everyone else were confused.

"What do you mean, Ichika-san?" Silica asked in confusion. "Did something happened to you a week ago?"

"Yeah, you could say something like that…" Ichika answered her with a sigh before regaining his composure. "But it's something best saved for another time, we've got a job to do right now."

"Yeah, asking questions around here in Shinjuku." Satoru agrees "We'll have to split up from here, that way we can cover more ground. We'll meet back here in an hour." Everyone nodded in agreement and were about to split up until a familiar face shows up as Ichika immediately recognized him.

"Arata?!" Ichika gasped in shock.

"Ichika! You're all right!" Arata sighed in relief.

"Me, all right? What about you?" Ichika asked back in concern. "I was worried something might've happened to you when that thing attacked us."

"What, me? I'm find as well, as you can see." Arata said with a smirk. "If anyone was gonna be looking for trouble, I'm guessing it'd be Nokia. You can peg her for a chicken or toughie, but she gets what's coming to her."

"Come on, don't you think that's a little harsh?" Ichika questioned. "She was just as much scared as we were when that… whatever it was attacked us and everything."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Arata agrees with a sigh before frowning seriously. "But still, that monster… That's the first time I've seen it. I'd heard rumors, of some nasty program, preying on data. Then I asked the admins about it, but they insisted they knew nothing. Don't you think that's a little strange? The admins should have noticed something like that."

"You're right, that does sound strange." Ichika agrees as he crossed his arms and pondered this. "They're supposed to be monitoring around EDEN and make sure everyone's safe. So why haven't they know anything about that thing?"

"Beats me, your guess is as good as mine." Arata answered him with a shrug. "But there's something that bothers me about this. I've half a mind to look into things properly. At the very least, this doesn't seem to be an official event, or some prank by some third-rate hacker either."

"Speaking of hackers, Nokia said you're one as well." Ichika said as he looked at him skeptically. "She blew her top when she realized you were a hacker after you've got us out of Kowloon before things went from bad to worse."

"Huh? You say I'm a hacker too?" Arata asked with a surprised look as Ichika nodded, Arata closed his eyes and smirked. "Well, what can I say about that? It is what it is." The two boys looked at each other for a few moments before he turns around. "Oh, and I've got an appointment to keep. I've gotta be off. See you later." He starts walking away and waves without looking behind him as our heroes watched him leave.

"Ichika, who was that guy?" Houki asked him. "Is he someone you've also met a week ago before meeting with Kyoko, Satoru and Twoearle?"

"Yeah, that's Arata. He's another friend I've met in person for the first time along with Nokia." Ichika answered her with a smile. "He may look cold, but he's a dependable person once you've get to know him a little more. Anyway, let's get back to our investigation. We still need to ask around Shinjuku what anyone has heard. As Satoru suggested, we'll meet back here in an hour and head back for Nakano." Everyone nodded in agreement and decided to split up around Shinjuku.

* * *

Not long after meeting up with Arata again, our heroes split up into groups and all went in different directions around Shinjuku. Despite seeing his friend alive and well again, Ichika still couldn't understand why he kept the fact he was a hacker and wanted to look into the monster by himself. Seeing their friend feeling down, Satoru and Twoearle decided to comfort him.

"Hey Ichika, don't let what he said get you down." Satoru reassured his friend. "He's probably just sore that he let his guard down and thought he failed to protect you and Nokia. Just let him blow off some steam and he'll be back to the friend you and Nokia knew."

"He's right, Ichika. We all have those kinds of days in our lives." Twoearle agrees as she patted Ichika on the back. "We'll look into the monster that attacked you and your friends, but we need you to focus on the investigation right now. We'll be needing you to lead us in case we run into trouble."

"You know, you're both right. I shouldn't let something like that get me down." Ichika smiled, cheering up. "I need to focus on the investigation right now and not worry about that monster. I'm sure Arata will be back to himself in no time. Thanks guys, I really needed that confidence boost."

"Hey, that's what we're here for, Ichika." Satoru smiled as he and Ichika fist bumped. "We'll be here for you in case you need a boost of confidence in yourself. Now let's get this investigation underway, we've got a lot of ground to cover to find some clues." Ichika and Twoearle nodded in agreement and started crossing the street to the other side.

Upon reaching the other side of the street, the trio started asking around for any sort of rumors that anyone might heard about. While still asking people, Ichika spots two students standing just outside of a movie theater and decides to go over and asks them about anything.

"Hey, excuse me. Can I ask you two about something?" Ichika asked as the boy turns to face him.

"Yeah, sure thing. What do you need to know?" The boy asked before his eyes widen in shock at Ichika. "Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Ichika, is that really you?!"

"Wait a minute… Ryota and Sakura?!" Ichika gasped in shock as he rubbed his eyes. "What are you two doing here?!"

"I could be asking you the same thing, Ichika." Ryota countered. "What are you doing around here? I thought you went to your sister's place." He then turns to the girl named Sakura next to him. "It was overseas! Gah, what country was it? Hey, Sakura, where was it again?"

"What? Oh, yeah… Um… Gunma?" Sakura titled her head in confusion.

"Bah! That's totes wrong! That's not a foreign country! It's part of Japan!" Ryota scowled as he face palmed.

"Yeah. Uh, right." Sakura murmured.

"I guess some things never change with them." Ichika said to himself as he smiled nervously and sweat dropped.

"Dang! She's been like this a lot lately. She's all into Jimiken, it seems." Ryota sighed and shook his head. "I swear, I don't even know what's so special about that whackjob."

"Jimiken? Who's that?" Ichika asked him in confusion. "First time I've ever heard about him.

"Then you're lucky you didn't about him until now, Ichika." Ryota mumbled. "First it's all "Jimiken this" and "Jimiken that" 24/7, now it's this. She stays at home watching his videos all day long. I'm getting kinda worried, y'know."

"Hmm… That sure is troubling to hear." Ichika frowned seriously before reassuring his friend from his old school before enrolling into the IS Academy. "But I'm sure it's nothing to worry about now. She's probably just listening to his music as a fan of his, so I don't see any harm in that."

"Well, I can only hope you're right, Ichika." Ryota still showed worry in his features. "But anyhow, you! You! What are you doing here instead of being overseas?"

"It's kind of a long story, but I'll give you the short version." Ichika answered him as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I was involved in an incident a week ago and something happened to me, but I'm still standing. After that, I was taken in by a detective who is a childhood friend of my sister where she made me her assistant and a Cyber Sleuth."

"A "Cyber Sleuth"? What the hell is that? That sounds mad sick, Cyber Sleuth." Ryota grinned as he slaps Ichika on the back before turning to Sakura. "Did you hear that, Sakura? Ichika's a Cyber Sleuth!"

"It's not really something to be laughing about." Ichika muttered, as Sakura just sighs, not listening to Ryota.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Ryota growled as Sakura just sighs again. He then leans in closer to Sakura and started mumbling something in her ear before she punches him in the gut. "Blargh!" Ichika winced in pain as Ryota bends over while holding his gut. "I thought I could get through to her, but…"

"Like I said, some things just never change with you two." Ichika chuckled playfully.

"But have you heard of Jimiken?" Ryota asked.

"Can't say I have. What's he like?" Ichika asked back as he crossed his arms and looked at his friend carefully.

"It's a band! A rock group! Jimi's all super duper hot right now, but I legit don't get why." Ryota answered him as he pondered this. "Well, the songs aren't half bad sometimes, but that's not really important. So, you're a Cyber Sleuth and can skip school whenever you want now?"

"Not exactly, I still do go to school." Ichika answered him. "But if something big does come up, then I'll have to skip school. Of course, I'll need to take some makeup work to catch up on what I missed."

"I see, you always were the kind of person to never skip out." Ryota smiled. "Still, we had a farewell party. I cried for you, for reals. But I guess we still get to see each other after all! Right, Sakura?"

"…Yeah." Sakura agrees dully.

"Hehehe! That's what I'm talking about!" Ryota smirked before turning to his friend who smiled back. "Anyway, we'll be heading back now. It's been great seeing you again, Ichika. Hope we'll meet again some other time."

"Yeah, we'll definitely be seeing each other soon enough." Ichika smiled as he waved. "I might introduce you guys to some of my other friends, if I get the chance." Ryota and Sakura nodded in agreement before walking in the opposite direction while waving goodbye to him just as Satoru and Twoearle arrived back. "Hey guys, glad to see you're both back. So find any rumors on your end?"

"Just a few rumors, but nothing too important." Satoru answered him as he asked Ichika about the people he was talking to. "So what about you? Anything on your end? And who were those two we saw talking to you before?"

"That was Ryota and Sakura, other friends I see every now and then." Ichika answered him. "I was able to get some interesting information about this Jimiken guy, but I'll tell you when everyone's around. Since we're done here, let's call the others and report back to Kyoko. She might be done on her affairs as well." Satoru and Twoearle both nodded in agreement and headed back to the bus stop while contacting the others.

* * *

With Houki and her friends, they asked around on the other side of Shinjuku about some interesting rumors, most of them was about Ichika appearing in the street as a cluster of data, a white ghost boy and a monster appearing around Kowloon. After that, they decided to take a break and meet up at a clothing store to discuss what they learned.

"So far, we only learned about Ichika appearing in data form after his adventure in Kowloon." Ling remembered what people told her and her friends about a person appearing on the street as nothing but a cluster of data.

"That must have been frightening for Ichika." Char lowered her head down despondently. "If Kyoko hadn't come and save him, he would have been put in a lab for experimenting." The IS girls shuddered at the thought of what may happen to the man they loved if Kyoko didn't rescued him from the authorities.

"Anyway, there's also rumors of a ghost in white who looks like a boy appearing around Kowloon." Tatenashi also pointed out what she learned about the Ghost Boy in White. "I mean, a ghost in cyberspace? Weird, huh?"

"And that's not all, there's also rumors of a monster that appears out of nowhere and eats people's data. Could that monster also be the one who got Ichika into this state?" Kanzashi wondered. The IS girls pondered about this and what they can do to help Ichika and the EDEN Syndrome victims. Suddenly, they heard a voice they know all too well.

"Houki? Cecilia? Ling? Char? Laura? Kanzashi? Tatenashi?" The IS girls turned to see Ran and Dan Gotanda walking up to them with shopping bags. "It's been so long! How are you guys?" Ran waved at them.

"Ran! Dan! It's been awhile!" Char waved back.

"Yeah. It's been while since we last hang out." Dan smiled before noticing someone missing from the group. "Hey, where's Ichika? Usually, he's with you girls either at the IS Academy or at the mall."

"Oh about that." Laura smiled. "Well, we now have part time jobs as Cyber Sleuths, solving digital crimes in both the real world and cyberspace."

"Wow that sounds so cool!" Ran beamed before a question mark appeared above her head. "But what the hell is a Cyber Sleuth?"

"We'll explain later. So what brings you two out here in Shinjuku?" Cecilia smiled politely.

"Oh, we're shopping for new clothes and games. Haven't you heard? The new Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy 15 is finally out after ten years. I'm getting it for the PS4." Dan smiled softly.

"Whoa! Why didn't you tell me?!" Ling gawked. "I could have pre-ordered it and got the Collector's Edition!" Ling regain her composure and cleared her throat. "Oh yeah, there's something we wanted to ask you two." Dan and Ran paid attention to their friend. "Have you heard any interesting rumors lately?"

"Hmm… Can't say I have. There's this rumor of monsters appearing in EDEN used by hackers to attack people and hack accounts, but were defeated by good people. What are they called again? Digiwhat?" Ran asked confusedly.

"They're called Digimon, short for Digital Monsters." Houki explained. "But not all Digimon are bad."

"Well, if you say so, Houki. Anyway, we got to split. Maybe we can stop by at the place you guys are working at. Where is your place to work?" Dan asked her.

"Nakano, look for the Kuremi Detective Agency." Char smiled.

"Right, we'll keep that in mind. We'll see you guys later." Ran waved so did Dan as they head back home.

"Char, you know these two people?" Biyomon asked from Char's Digivice. Char got out her Digivice and smiled at her partner.

"Yeah. Ran and Dan are friends of ours. Before Satoru, Ichika and Dan hang out but not often while Ran is Dan's sister." She explained.

"I see. You guys really have nice friends." Palmon smiled from Kanazashi's Digivice.

"Uh-huh." Kanzashi smiled back. Suddenly, Char's phone ranged and she answered.

"Hey guys. Our investigation is complete. So let's meet up at the bus station to report to Kyoko on what we learned." Ichika told them.

"Gotcha, we'll be there as soon as possible." Char nodded as the gang met up at the bus station and headed back to Nakano.

* * *

After completing their investigation, our heroes all returned to the bus station and boarded the bus to head back to Nakano and report back to Kyoko. While riding the bus back to Nakano, everyone started to review any rumors they've all gather from around Shinjuku.

"Okay, let's go over what we've gather around Shinjuku so far." Ichika said as he began laying out what he and his friends know. "From what we can gather, it's mostly about me appearing in the middle of the street as a cluster of data. But others were talking about a ghost boy appearing in cyberspace or a monster roaming around eating data. Other than those three, nothing much to go on."

"Not only that, there's also what Arata said before." Satoru said as he frowned seriously. "He also mentioned that monster roaming around in Kowloon, but none of the admins are even looking into it. That sounds pretty fishy if the admins aren't dealing with this sort of problem."

"You're right, that does sound really fishy." Houki agrees, frowning as well. "If none of the admins are looking into that monster or searching for this Ghost Boy in White, then what's really going on in cyberspace?" Everyone all looked at each other while wondering what's been going on in cyberspace until Ichika spoke up.

"We'll just have to put those thoughts in the back burner for now until something new comes up." Ichika stated. "For now, let's report our findings to Kyoko and see what she's done on her end." Everyone nodded in agreement as he turns to the CPUs, Yukinari's group and Kirito's group. "So what about you guys? Find anything on your ends of Shinjuku?"

"Well, we were able to learn about this Jimiken person from some girls on our end." Vert answered him as she pondered this. "Apparently, he and his band are famous around Japan and many people, mostly girls, have been watching his music videos and listening to his music. Although, I do not get why everyone likes this man so much." Her fellow CPUs all nodded in agreement as they turned to Kirito's group.

"That same goes for us on our end." Kirito added. "While we were searching through the other end of Shinjuku, we saw a music video about that Jimiken guy and everyone was going nuts for him. The store was even selling CDs of his music and we can see people walking out with tons of his merchandise." HIs friends all nodded in agreement as they turned to Yukinari's group.

"Not us, we couldn't even get any information from anybody." Kirie said with an annoyed sigh. "For most of the time, a certain pervert here just decided to slack off and started groping all the girls around Shinjuku. It got so bad, I had to knock him out and drag him back here before this crazy policewoman arrested us!" Everyone all glared at Fukuyama who was grumbling to himself.

"What? I wasn't doing anything wrong!" Fukuyama growled. "All I did was trying to get information in my own way."

"You so was not, you no good pervert!" Noire growled as she glared at the pervert. "You were probably doing the same thing you did to both Blanc and Leafa before!" The arguing continued on during the ride back to Nakano.

* * *

Upon arriving back at Nakano, our heroes made their way to office to tell Kyoko about their findings from their investigation in Shinjuku. As they've entered the office, Kyoko was sitting at her desk waiting for their return until she sees them coming in.

"Welcome back, Cyber Sleuths." Kyoko greeted with a smile. "I'm pleased to see your investigation has been completed. So, did you managed to find any rumors during your investigation? And I trust that you were able to walk out without any problems, Ichika?"

"Yeah, we've managed to get some interesting rumors around Shinjuku." Ichika answered her with a smile. "Most of it was about me appearing in the street as a cluster of data, but nothing too much out of the ordinary. Everyone seems to be back to their normal routines even after seeing me as nothing but data before."

"Hmm, I see. The folks who saw you last week didn't seem to make much of a big deal about it." Kyoko said with a smile of approval. "If that's so, you'll be find walking the streets."

"Yep, now I can walk freely without anyone knowing that was me before." Ichika agrees.

"Well then, I suppose we have nothing to worry about." Kyoko said before she added something else. "By the way… Not to change the subject, but I've readied a new EDEN account for you. Your existing account isn't being recognized properly on the EDEN Network. And as a result, you can't log in normally."

"Right, it must've been from that monster when it tried to grab me." Ichika said, frowning seriously. "And because of that, my body ended up being half cyber and found myself in the middle of Shinjuku. But what can I do with this new EDEN account?"

"You can "invade" a service using a Connection Jump, but with an invalid account, you won't be able to do much." Kyoko answered him. "That would hinder your work, so from now on, log in with the new account I got for you."

"Okay, thanks a lot, Kyoko." Ichika smiled in gratitude. "We'll be able to move around EDEN more freely with this new account." His friends all nodded in agreement. "But what about Satoru and Twoearle? How are they going to help us now that we're using the account you gave me?"

"Not to worry, Ichika. We've got our own EDEN accounts." Satoru answered him with a smile. "We can log in from my laptop or your Connect Jump, so we're never far behind you guys." Twoearle nodded in agreement as they all turned to Kyoko.

"Well then, with everything done and out of the way, I believe it's almost time." Kyoko said with a smile.

"Almost time? Almost time for what, Miss Kyoko?" Yukinari asked in confusion. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Something like that, but it'll be us with the appointment." Kyoko answered him as she continued. "It's time for work, dear assistants." She gestured to the door as she motioned the person to come in.

"Um… Is this the Kuremi Detective Agency?" An all too familiar voice asked as Ichika, Satoru, Twoearle and the IS girls all gasped in shock.

"Right on time! She seems like she'll be an excellent client." Kyoko smiled. "Now I expect all of you to be on your best behavior, this'll be your first real case." She glances over to Tomoka and Fukuyama. "That goes double for you two, lest we want to repeat what happened before." They both knew what she was talking about and nodded in fear. "Perfect, glad to know we're on the same page." She then turns back to the door. "Welcome to the Kuremi Detective Agency. Please, come in." With her permission, the door opens up as Yuuko comes walking in.

"Thank you." Yuuko said in gratitude.

"Yuuko?!" Ichika, Satoru, Twoearle and the IS girls all gasped.

"Yuuko?" Everyone else asked in confusion.

"It's you!" Yuuko also gasped in shock after she noticed Ichika, Satoru, Twoearle and the IS girls.

"What's this? All of you know each other?" Kyoko asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't put it that way." Yuuko answered her as she lowers her head and went silent.

"Well… this has suddenly turned awkward." Satoru muttered in amazement. "I didn't expect our client to be the same girl we met back at the hospital." Twoearle and the IS pilots all nodded in agreement.

"Hmm… Well, regardless. You are Yuuko Yamashina, my new client?" Kyoko asked her.

"Yes. I am Yuuko Yamashina." Yuuko answered her with a nod.

"Let me inquire, then, into the details of the case. Please be seated on that sofa there." Kyoko said as she gestured to the right sofa.

"All right." Yuuko agreed as she sits on the right sofa while Kyoko, Satoru and Twoearle sits on the left with everyone else standing behind them. Ichika and Yuuko couldn't help but stare at each other, it's not a romantic stare, but the longer Ichika and Yuuko looked at each other, they felt like they known each other since childhood but where? Kyoko cleared her throat, drawing Yuuko's attention to her.

"Now then, tell us everything you want to say." Kyoko began as she got out her notepad and got ready to take notes. Yuuko decided to put that away about how Ichika and her felt like they known each other on hold for now. "We'll be needing every detail about the case. Even the smallest information can be useful to us."

"O-okay, I'll tell you everything I know." Yuuko said with a shy stutter. "My… My father… has disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Kyoko asked as she looked at her client carefully.

"He's gone missing." Yuuko answered her while lowering her head despondently. "I'd like to ask a detective to seek out and find my father, Makoto Yamashina."

"Hmm… Do you have any info on your father?" Kyoko asked her.

"Yes. The basic information is all here. I'll send you the data." Yuko said as she sends the data to Satoru's computer and he gave her a thumbs up to let everyone know he's got it. "But the only possible clue I have would be the EDEN account info he used. When you query the amount info, it says it's currently active, but…"

"There's no response when you call?" Kyoko finished for her, frowning seriously.

"None whatsoever." Yuuko nods before she goes silent again. Then she spoke after 5 seconds. "Please find my father."

"I understand. We'll take the case on." Kyoko said with a smile. "We'll be sure to find your father in no time, that we can promise you."

"I…! Thank you very much." Yuuko said in gratitude.

"Well, then, let's get started! I'll let you know if there are any adjustments." Kyoko said with a smile before saying "Before you depart, would you mind giving me your contact information? We might be needing it in case we might have to call you." Yuuko went silent for a few seconds before shaking her head no.

"No… That won't be necessary. I'll come back in a little while." Yuuko said shyly.

'She won't give us her number?' Ichika whispered in confusion. 'I wonder why she didn't want us to contact her?'

"I must be going. Pardon me." Yuuko said quietly as she stands up for the sofa and exits the office.

"I see…" Kyoko said while pondering this information as she heads for her computer on her desk and starts typing in the info she got from Yuuko after Satoru sends it to her computer. After searching for a few minutes, she turns to everyone else. "Mr. Yamashina's account info checks out. And my conclusion is this: I believe someone has hacked into this account. There are numerous strange points of activity that I can see with this account, and multiple Makoto Yamishionas roaming EDEN."

"But who's been using Mr. Yamashina's account? And why are there multiple activities roaming around EDEN?" Silica asked in confusion.

"If I had to guess, it's got to be the result of an account raid. Everyone's been clamoring about that sort of thing recently." Kyoko answered her. "I want all of you to start by tracking down the active traces of the Yamashina account. Account hacking is sometimes connected to organized crime." She puts her computer into sleep mode and turns to everyone. "Take your investigation to EDEN and ask questions. We might get some info on these account raids." She turns to Ichika and smiled. "You're up, my dear Watson! Hehe! Proceed to EDEN and start asking around."

"Got it, we'll head for EDEN and start asking everyone about these accounting raids." Ichika said with a thumbs up. "We'll let you know if we find any info on whoever using Yamashina's account." Everyone nodded in agreement and were about to head for EDEN until Twoearle stopped them.

"Hang on, everyone. There's something I want to give to all of you before we head out on our first case." Twoearle said with a smile. "I've been pulling some all nighters this past week, but now they're finally done." She reaches into her bag and pulls out a container as she places it on the table and opens it. "Here we go, communicators for everyone. With these, now you'll be able to stay in touch with us no matter how far apart we are." Ichika, Satoru and the IS girls all nodded in agreement as everyone else all took one communicator and placed it in their ears.

"Okay, now we're ready to head out." Ichika smiled bravely. "Everyone, keep your communicators on so we can contact each other if any of us finds anything interesting. Now let's head for EDEN Entrance and see what we can find. Investigation, start!" Everyone nodded in agreement as they gathered around him as he used his Connect Jump to enter the TV while Satoru and Twoearle followed behind using their EDEN accounts.

* * *

Soon, Ichika and the gang arrived at the EDEN Entrance. The newcomers to Ichika's world looked around in awe. "Whoa." Neptune whispered in awe. "So this is this EDEN place, huh?" She looked at the people hanging around and happily chatting. "It's like a place where you don't have to worry about your troubles."

"Still, that doesn't mean it's a perfectly safe haven." Twoearle frowned seriously. "There's bound to be hackers or all sorts of whackjobs hanging around here."

"Right, we'll keep that in mind." Kirito nodded, frowning seriously as well.

"Alright. Let's ask around if anyone heard of the account raidings. If anyone has any info, contact one of us." Ichika explained.

"Right!" Everyone agreed and started asking around. As Houki went up the first flight of stairs, she noticed a person standing before the second flight of stairs. So she decided to ask this person about any account raidings.

"Excuse me?" Houki asked the person.

The man looked at her with not the nicest of glares and asked rudely. "What do you want?"

'Geez! Rude much!' Houki thought to herself angrily before calming down asked "Do you know about who is doing the account raiding?"

"Guess Zaxon did that account raiding. They're just running wild lately." The man sighed.

"Do you know where they are?" Houki asked as she crossed her arms.

"I dunno where they are, there's a lot of 'em. Prolly someone who knows about it in Kowloon." The man told her.

"Thank you for the information." Houki said in gratitude. She got out her phone and contacted everyone. "Guys. I got some info about the account raiding. Turns out a hacker group called Zaxon did it." Ichika and Satoru gasped in shock. "…I take it you two know about them?"

"Yeah. One of the members, Yuugo was the one who gave me Agumon and he was the one who gave Satoru Dorumon." Ichika explained to her.

"But the question is, why would Zaxon be responsible for the account raiding of Mr. Yamashina?" Satoru wondered as he scratched his chin in thought.

"We'll figure it out as we go along. The man who told me this said that members of Zaxon can be found in Kowloon." Houki told her friends.

"Got it, let's head to Kowloon then." Liz agreed as everyone met up at the terminal and headed for Kowloon.

* * *

Soon, the gang arrived at Galactica Park where they saw a hacker hanging around. "Look, there's a hacker." Nepgear frowned seriously.

"Right, let me go ask him what he knows about Zaxon." Ichika nodded as he walked up to the hacker.

"Getting powerful Digimon is what being a hacker's all about!" The hacker snickered darkly.

"Ugh. What a creep..." Agumon frowned. "Boss, can I beat the data out of this hacker?"

"Only if he tries something funny, Agumon." Ichika told his partner as he cleared his throat. "Excuse me, do you know anything about Zaxon?" He asked politely.

"…Heh, forget these guys." The hacker frowned as he crossed his arms. "Being a hacker's not as easy as just making friends and getting strong! If you knew their forum URL, you could mosey on in there alone and check em out!"

"…Okay, let's try that hacker over there." Ichika sighed as he and his friends walked up to the hacker standing near the tire and monitor set.

"When idiots flock together, it's tough to stop this kind of thing… it sucks." The hacker sighed sadly.

"Do you know anything about Zaxon?" Ling asked the hacker.

"Zaxon? …Yeah, used to be a member there."

"Whoa, seriously?!" Klein gasped in shock. The hacker nodded in response as he continued.

"Then too many slimeballs joined, so I got out. I can't deal with idiots. "Don't refuse those who come, and don't chase those who leave."…Zaxon's leader's cleaver enough. That policy? Not so much."

"Man, the more I hear about Zaxon, the more I want to kick their asses for being jerks..." Uni frowned angrily as she clenched her fists in anger.

"Do you know about Zaxon's Forum URL?" Ichika asked the hacker.

"Hm? You want to know where they hang out?" The hacker was silent for a moment before sighing. "…Okay, but don't tell anyone what I told you." The hacker got out his phone and sent the URL to Ichika's Digivice. "There, that's the URL for the Zaxon Forum."

"Thank you so much for the information, sir." Yukinari bowed lightly in gratitude.

"Alright, now let's go to Zaxon to get some answers." Ichika told everyone, they nodded in response and used the gate to head to the Zaxon Forum.

* * *

After gaining access to the Zaxon Forum, our heroes arrived at what appears to be an old theater stage used for plays. All around the theater were Zaxon members both male and female wearing hooded jackets ranging from blue to green and orange with the female members having skirts and long sleeves and the male wearing pants and don't have sleeves.

"So this is the place, Zaxon Forum…" Kirito frowned seriously. "I guess he was really serious about that URL he gave us, it really allowed us to enter the forum without any trouble."

"Maybe, but there's no telling what kind of trouble we'll find here." Satoru advised as he tensed, noticing the glares from some of the Zaxon members which they are glaring at Ichika and the gang. "That URL might've let us enter the forum, but I doubt they'll speak with anyone who's not a member of Zaxon. Let's just start asking around before anything bad happens." Everyone nodded in agreement and were about to press on until they've noticed Fukuyama was missing. "What the? Where did that Fukuyama creep went?" Before anyone could answer, they all heard someone yelling.

"Hey! What the hell?!" A female Zaxon member yelled as Fukuyama was groping her breasts.

"My, you certainly are quite the catch for a hacker." Fukuyama slurred pervertedly. "And you have some really nice melons here, I can really feel their firmness in my hands."

"I can't believe this, he's at it again!" Kirie groaned as she face palmed. "Just leave it to him to start up trouble and drag us down with him!" She rolls up her sleeves and cracks her knuckles. "All right, I'll just have to teach him another painful lesson!" But just as she was about to pummel Fukuyama, a male Zaxon member walks up to him and taps his shoulder.

"Hey, Goldilocks, do you mind taking your hands off my girl?" M. Zaxon Hacker asked coldly. "Because if you don't, I'm gonna have to teach you a very painful lesson."

"And just what are you going to do about it?" Fukuyama mocked. "I'm sure you hackers are all just a bunch of cowards hiding behind your computers. You couldn't find your way out of a paper bag." That made the hacker mad as he grabs his shirt and pulls him closer.

"Since you're new around these parts, allow me to give you a little something..." M. Zaxon Hacker said dangerously which made Fukuyama gulp in fear. "No one messes with Zaxon and gets away with it! Time to send you to kingdom come with the rest of the junk data, blondie!" As he folds his hand into a fist and was about to punch Fukuyama in the face until Ichika stops him.

"Wait! Don't hurt him!" Ichika pleaded. "He's with us, he didn't mean to get between you and your girlfriend!"

"Wait, this guy is with you?" M. Zaxon Hacker asked with a glare. "And how did you guys enter this forum? I haven't seen any of you around here."

"We're new around here and not that much of hackers yet." Satoru answered him quickly. "We were able to enter your forum because one of your ex members gives us the URL to gain access here." Everyone nodded to confirm his statement.

"I see, so that guy gave you access to the forum." M. Zaxon Hacker muttered before sighing. "Fine, whatever, you can have his sorry ass back." He tosses Fukuyama towards them as he lands on the floor. "But if I see him fondling my girl again, I won't be so nice!" Everyone nodded as he takes his girlfriend's hand and both walked away.

"Whew, that was a close one." Ling sighed in relief "I was worried that we had to fight them and we won't be able to get any answers from them." Then everyone all glared at Fukuyama as he dusted himself off. "And no thanks to a certain idiot, we were almost at a dead end if Ichika didn't stop him!"

"Its fine, Ling. We can't worry about that now." Ichika reassured her. "Our first priority is to find any information about the account raid and see if anyone here knows about it." Everyone nodded in agreement as they all walked over to another female Zaxon hacker standing next to some data blocks talking to herself.

"I wonder what he's always doing…" F. Zaxon Hacker wondered.

"Excuse me, can I ask you something?" Ichika asked her. "Do you know anything about account raiding?"

"Account Raiding? IDK." F. Zaxon Hacker answered him.

"IDK? What the hell does that mean?" Noire asked confusedly. "I've never heard of that before."

"It's an anagram for 'I don't know'. A lot of people use that when they're texting or sending messages to each other." Satoru answered her. "There are other phrases like that, but that's not important right now. Since we couldn't get info from her, let's try someone else. I'm sure we'll have better luck." Everyone nodded in agreement as they walked over to a male Zaxon member in a green hooded jacket.

"Zaxon doesn't refuse anyone who shows up. If you want to join the team, just wait for him to come back." M. Zaxon Hacker stated.

"Sorry, but we're not here to join Zaxon. We're here to ask you about something." Ichika corrected him. "We've heard about one of your members raiding someone's account and using it around cyberspace. So we want to know who's been using that account and for what purpose."

"You guys want to know about account raiding? …Who the hell are you guys, really?" M. Zaxon Hacker asked as he looked at the gang with a suspicious glare.

"We're just a group of a detective's assistants tasked to be Cyber Sleuths." Satoru answered him.

"Cyber sleuth or detective's assistants?" What even…eh, forget it. So you guys snuck in here, just to learn about account raiding?" M. Zaxon Hacker asked as everyone nodded. "Ballsy, I'll give you guys that." He then looks at all of the girls in the group. "Even though some of you don't really have them."

"We'll just ignore you saying that..." Houki frowned as the girls except for Neptune, Koyomi, and Miharu glared at the hacker who said that.

"In that case… Take this and head to Kowloon Lv. 2. That'll help get you your answers." M. Zaxon Hacker said as he hands a mask over to Ichika. "And get ready, too. It's gonna be dangerous. But if you've got the cojones to sneak into Zaxon, you'll probably be able to handle it."

"Okay, we'll put this mask into good use. Thanks for your help." Ichika said in gratitude. "Now that we've got everything we need, let's head back to Kowloon. I get the feeling that's where the way to Lv. 2 is located." Everyone nodded in agreement as they exited the forum and headed back to Kowloon.

* * *

Ichika and the gang soon arrived at Kowloon Lvl 1. Ichika turns to his friends. "Alright, let's head to Kowloon Lvl 2 to find our answers." Ichika told everyone. They nodded in agreement as they headed for the elevator to Kowloon Lvl 2. But they found a firewall blocking their way to the elevator.

"A firewall?" Houki gasped as everyone looked at the firewall blocking their way.

"It would seem that way." Renamon answered for her as she crossed her arms. "Unless we have something to break it, we can't proceed further."

"Yeesh, those Zaxon hackers really don't want anyone stepping on their turf." Neptune muttered as she placed her hands behind her head.

"So how are we gonna get to the second level?" Tomoka asked confusedly. Suddenly, Ichika, Satoru and Twoearle remembered that one time in Galactic Park. Nodding to each other, Ichika walked up to the firewall and held his gloved hand out.

"Ichika? What are you doing?" Kanzashi asked confusedly. Suddenly, Ichika made the firewall disappeared, surprising his friends except for Satoru, Twoearle and Agumon and Dorumon.

"Whoa! Ichika! How the hell did you do that?!" Klein gawked.

"Well, you can thank a friend of ours for giving me the ability to crack firewalls." Ichika smiled. The IS girls knew who he was talking about while everyone is confused.

"Whoa! That is super special awesome!" Neptune beamed. "It's like a game editor or something!"

"Neptune, just shut up with your nonsense before we give you amnesia again..." Noire warned as Blanc and Vert nodded.

"Anyway, let's head to the second level now." Laura said as everyone got ready to proceed.

* * *

They took the elevator to Kowloon Lvl 2. In the first area, they saw Kusanagi, Veemon and Wormmon being surrounded by three Zaxon hackers. "Hmm? Who's that those hackers are surrounding?" Leafa gasped as everyone looked at the scene happening.

"Hey kid, who are those two Digimon with you?" A Zaxon member mocked. "Mind if you let us have them?"

"No! They're my friends!" Kusanagi frowned, shaking his head no. "I will never give these two to creeps like you!"

"Heh. You look like a beginner hacker." A second Zaxon hacker smirked darkly. "Yet, you don't have a clue on how to command programs like them. Then we have to take them by force!" The three hackers called out three Digimon. The first one was a dinosaur like Digimon who looks like an Indian, the second one was a yellow armadillo like spiked Digimon and the third one was a giant red and white bird with horns.

"Kusanagi! Those guys look serious!" Veemon stammered.

"Oh dear… What are we gonna do?" Wormmon gulped.

"We can't let them do that to those guys!" Ichika frowned seriously as he turned to Agumon. "Ready, Agumon?"

"Ready!" Agumon nodded as he got ready to digivolve. "Agumon, digivolve to… GeoGreymon!" Agumon turned into GeoGreymon.

"Not alone you won't!" Satoru yelled heroically as he nodded to Dorumon who nodded back.

"Dorumon, digivolve to…! Dorugamon!" Dorumon turned into Dorugamon.

"I can't stand bullies, so let's help those guys!" Ling yelled as Gatomon leaped up and slams her paws down onto Ankylomon, knocking him back a little.

"What the hell?!" The first Zaxon member gawked before noticing Ichika and the gang. "Why you little! Allomon! Tear them to shreds!"

"Dino Burst!" Allomon fired a stream of fire from his mouth at GeoGreymon, but he blocked it with ease.

"Mega Flame!" GeoGreymon yelled as he launched his attack at Allomon, instantly deleting him.

"T-They're strong!" The second Zaxon member gawked before growling. "Aquillamon, destroy them!"

"Mach Impulse!" Aquillamon rammed into Dorugamon, damaging him mediumly.

"Dorugamon, don't give up!" Satoru encouraged.

"Got it! Cannonball!" Dorugamon yelled as he launched the attack at Aquillamon, deleting him before he got a chance to attack.

"Now's our chance to attack! Lightning Paw!" Gatomon yelled as she charged towards Ankylomon and gave him a killer uppercut, deleting him.

"We did it!" Ling cheered.

The Zaxon members gawked in shock before one of them growled "You'll regret the day you messed with Zaxon!" The Zaxon members escaped.

"Whew, I'm glad those jerks are dealt with." Kusanagi sighed in relief before turning to Ichika and his friends with a smile. "Thanks for helping us, we really appreciate it." Both Veemon and and Wormmon nodded in agreement as GeoGreymon and Dorugamon returned to their Rookie forms while Gatomon stayed the same.

"No problem, those guys were just a bunch of pushovers anyway." Ling smiled as she placed her hands behind her head. "Believe me, I know what it's like to be bullied around by jerks like them. So are you and your Digimon doing all right?"

"Yeah, we're all good. Thanks for asking." Kusanagi answered her before he pondered the Zaxon hackers' words. "But who were those creeps anyway? And why did they call me a hacker and called them just programs?"

"Those guys were from Zaxon, a group of hackers." Satoru answered him with a serious frown. "And judging how you have your own Digimon, they probably thought you were a hacker yourself and was an easy target for them since you're a beginner. As for them thinking Digimon are just programs, that's just what they think they are. Just programs they can control and attack others when they feel like it." Everyone nodded in agreement as all the Digimon partners growled at how some humans were treating them. "By the way, we've never got your names yet."

"Oh right, I almost forgot about that." Kusanagi remembered. "And since you guys helped us, we'll be more than happy to introduce ourselves to you." Veemon and Wormmon nodded in agreement as he clears his throat. "My name is Kusanagi, nice to meet you guys. And these two are Veemon and Wormmon." Wrommon nodded at them while Veemon waved.

"Nice to meet you three, I'm Ichika Orimura." Ichika smiled. "This is my partner Agumon." Agumon smiled and nodded at them. "And here are my friends Houki Shinonono, Cecilia Alcott, Charlotte Dunios, Huang Lingyin, Laura Bodewig, Tatenashi and Kanzashi Sarashiki, Satoru Kuremi and Twoearle. And of course, their Digimon partners Elecmon, Renamon, Biyomon, Gatomon, Candlemon, Monodramon, Palmon and Dorumon." His friends and their Digimon partners all smiled and either waved or nodded at the trio.

"Wassap!" Neptune beamed energetically. "The name's Neptune, CPU of Planetune of Gamindustri. This is my little sister, Nepgear aka Nep Jr. And these six galfriends of mine are Noire, CPU of Lastation, her little sister Uni, Blanc, CPU of Lowee, her little twin sisters Ram and Rom, and lastly is busty CPU of Leanbox and otaku gamer herself, Vert." The girls in question either waved or nodded to Kusanagi, Veemon and Wormmon.

"I'll pretend you didn't call me busty, Neptune…" Vert frowned slightly as she crossed her arms and pouted.

"Wait, what are CPUs?" Kusanagi asked confusedly.

"To put it frankly, they're goddesses who each lead their nations." Laura explained.

"Wait, seriously?!" Veemon gawked in shock before looking at the CPUs in question. "You sure don't look like goddesses."

"Well uh… Looks can be deceiving as the saying goes." Nepgear smiled nervously and sweat dropped.

"Nice to meet you, Kusunagi. My name is Yukinari Sasaki." Yukinari smiled. "And these are my friends Miharu Sena Kanaka, Kirie Kojima, Kazuharu and Lisa Fukuyama, Koyomi Hare Nakana, Tomoka Lana Jude and Lisa's bodyguards Hayate and Kosame." Much like with Ichika's group, his friends all did the same while Fukuyama just didn't care.

"And for me, you can call me Kirito." Kirito smiled. "And here are my family and friends. My wife Asuna, our daughter Yui, my sister Leafa, Klein, Liz, Silica and Pina, Sinon, Phillia and Agil." Like with the other groups, everyone smiled at the trio and either waved or nodded at him.

"Pleasure's all ours, glad to meet all of you." Kusanagi smiled in gratitude. "So can you guys tell me where we are? We've been wandering around here since yesterday and we still can't find an exit anywhere. This place is definitely not like SAO." He couldn't help but stare at Asuna before looking away.

"Believe us, we've thought the same thing when we also got here yesterday." Kirito agrees with a nod. "From what Ichika and the others told us, we're inside a place called Kowloon that's right under EDEN. It's also known for a bunch of hackers roaming around here and looking for any kind of easy target, like you guys were."

"No wonder they thought I was an easy target for them." Kusanagi frowned seriously. "Since I've only just met Veemon and Wormmon yesterday, I don't even know what to do. All I could do was stand between those jerks and them to make sure they weren't taken."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it sooner or later." Ichika smiled in reassurance. "Just let it come to you and your Digimon naturally and I'm sure you'll know." The trio looked at each other before turning back to him and nodded.

"Yeah, you're right, Ichika." Kusanagi agrees with a nod. "I just need to let it come to me on its own and we'll know what to do. Thanks for that, I really needed the boost there." Ichika smiled and gave him a thumbs up. "By the way, there's something else I've been wondering about. Why are you guys going through Kowloon? Is there something happening here?"

"You could say that, we're looking for some hackers." Satoru answered him. "Someone has hacked and raided another person's account and we have to find him before he does the same to other accounts."

"Then let me join you guys and help you find him." Kusanagi offered. "Think of it as our way of returning the favor for helping us with those jerks." Both Veemon and Wormmon nodded in agreement as they also wanted to help in any way they can.

"Then welcome to the Cyber Sleuths, you three." Ichika smiled. "With all three of you with us, I'm sure we'll stop him before he hacks into anymore accounts." Everyone nodded in agreement as they continued on through Kowloon.

* * *

They arrived at the next area and were about to go to the next area where they see Zaxon members blocking their path.

"Whoa, kids! Halt. Hold. Cease. And also desist." The Zaxon hacker said meanly. "Lemme borrow a hot second here. This place, while clearly awesome. In fact, beyond the normal scale of awesomeness. Is not for you. So scram…"

"Why you little-" Sinon was about to attack the Zaxon hacker before Kirito stopped her and shook his head no at her. She reluctantly nodded.

"Can't you let us through?" Nepgear pleaded hopefully.

"Yeah, it's really important." Kusanagi agreed.

"Look kids, don't make me chase you off. Cause I will. And I'll hunt you down. And then I'll catch ya. And then…" The Zaxon hacker snickered darkly. Ichika then remembered the Zaxon mask the other Zaxon member gave him and showed it to him. The Zaxon member was shocked by this. "Hmm? …Hmmmmm? …HMMMMMMMMMMMM?! Wait, what?! You're one of us Zaxons? Come on, where's your mask? We don't give 'em out for fun, y'know!"

"Well, we have one." Palmon fumed.

"If you don't wear it, a poor guy like me might mistake you for the, uh… wrong sort. Then I'd have to get to hunting you all down…" The Zaxon hacker muttered.

"Enough talk. Can you let us pass?" Liz fumed angrily.

"Okay, geez! We'll let you through." The Zaxon hacker complained as he and his group let them through.

"Well, that was easy." Hayate muttered as he pushed his glasses up.

"But we got through, right? Now let's find who is behind the account raidings." Char smiled as our heroes continued forward.

* * *

After making it pass some Zaxon hackers, our heroes made it to the final area of Kowloon Lv. 2. At the very end of the pathway, four silhouettes were standing with only three of them talking to each other while the fourth was just standing there. On their faces were the same masks Ichika got from the other Zaxon member.

"Hey, are those the guys over there?" Silica asked as she hid behind Kirito. "The ones who used the account raid on Yuuko's dad's account?"

"No doubt about it, it's got to be them." Houki answered her with a nod and serious frown. "I'm positive they're the ones behind the raid on Makoto's account. Now we can make them pay for raiding an innocent man's account!"

"Right, but let's be careful here, guys." Ichika advised. "There's no telling what may set them off if we're founded out. Let's try to keep it cool and try not to make them angry." Everyone nodded in agreement as they walked over to the four hackers until one of them spots them.

"Huh? Who the heck're you guys?" Masked Hacker asked as he glared at the gang. "You yankin' my chain? Showin' here like this? I'm gonna kick you losers right on outta here!"

"Wait, we're not here to cause any sort of trouble." Ichika reasoned as he shows the mask.

"I've got infinite extra lives! Whoa, wait, what? Are you guys with them too?" Masked Hacker asked in shock.

"Yeah, we've just joined so we're kinda new here." Ichika answered him with a nod.

"A couple of newbies? Did you guys raid someone's account?" Masked Hacker asked them.

"Yes, we did. We've raided a very well protected account." Satoru answered him, he felt bad for lying about this one. "It wasn't really that difficult to break into their account and swipe everything they have."

"Well, excellent! Next time, let's raid together!" Masked Hacker said gleefully. "You promise?" Everyone nodded. "You all came at a good time. You guys with me?"

"Good time? What do you mean by that?" Asuna asked in confusion as the hacker gestured to the man with them.

"Have a look over there." Masked Hacker answered as he pointed to the man. "That's Mephisto. Mephisto buys any hijacked accounts from us directly." Ichika then started to walk over to Mephisto. "What, you're off already? Mephisto's a little crazy, so be careful!"

"Ichika, what are you doing?" Char gasped. "That man doesn't even look right! Come back before you get hurt!"

"Don't worry, I'm gonna be okay, Char." Ichika assured her. "If this Mephisto guy is the one behind the account raid, then this is the only way to get any answers out of him. Just trust me, Char." Char hesitated for a moment before nodding as he stops in front of Mephisto.

"Hand. Over. Accounts. Now." Mephisto demanded before clutching his head in pain. "Uugh. Accounts. Accounts."

"Before I do hand over the account, there's something I want to ask you, Mr. Mephisto." Ichika said with a serious frown. "I want to ask you about account raids. Were you the one who raided the account of Makoto Yamashina?"

"Accounts. Now. Hand. Over. Accounts!" Mephisto growled.

"Sorry, no can do, Mephisto." Ichika frowned seriously. "Not until you tell me about account raids."

"Acc…? Aghahbababa…" Mephisto screamed as he clutched his head. "Babababababawow-wow!" He fell onto the floor and started rolling around while holding his head in agony.

"Whoa! What did you do to him? Mephisto, are you rollin'?" Masked Hacker asked fearfully.

"It wasn't me, I swear!" Ichika panicked. "He just fell on the floor and started rolling around like a maniac!" Mephisto stopped rolling and stood back up on his feet.

"Y-Y-You, you didn't bring iiiiiiit! S-S-So, so, give me your account!" Mephisto yelled crazily.

"Hey, calm down, Mephisto! Look, you're freakin' the newbi out!" Masked Hacker gawked.

"Aaaoww!" Mephisto screamed as a black dragon like Digimon with white hair materialized behind him.

"No way! He also has a Digimon?!" Liz gawked.

"I want a rare… sparkling, shiny new account…" Both Mephisto and the Digimon said dangerously. "Give it to meeeee!" Ichika and his friends all got into battle stance as the black Digimon stepped forward.

"Looks like we need to beat him to get the info we need." Agumon frowned as he got ready. "Agumon, digivolve to…! GeoGreymon!" Agumon turned into GeoGreymon.

"Elecmon, digivolve to… Leomon!" Elecmon turned into Leomon.

"Renamon, digivolve to…! Kyubiimon!"

"Biyomon, digivolve to… Birdramon!"

"Candlemon, digivolve to…! Wizardmon!"

"Monodramon, digivolve to….! Strikedramon!"

"Palmon digivolve to…! Togemon!"

"Dorumon, digivolve to…! Dorugamon!" All the Digimon save for Gatomon digivolve into Champions. The CPUs transformed as well.

"Alright, let's find out what kind of Digimon this is." Ichika frowned as he put his Digivice over his eyes and scanned Mephisto's Digimon. "BlackGrowlmon. Looks like we're in for a tough fight."

"Mega Flame!" GeoGreymon yelled as he launched his attack at BlackGrowlmon, but it did little damage despite the fact that GeoGreymon is a Vaccine Digimon. "What?!" He gasped in shock.

"Plasma Blade!" BlackGrowlmon yelled as he made plasma blades on its elbows and slashed GeoGreymon three times.

"Dragon Wheel!" Kyubiimon yelled as she launched her attack at BlackGrowlmon, damaging him a little. BlackGrowlmon growled in fury as he charged towards Kyubiimon and rammed her into a digiwall.

"Mirage Dance!" Purple Sister charged towards BlackGrowlmon and slashed him six times, but it did little damage, shocking her. "W-What the goodness?!"

"Electro Squall!" Wizardmon launched his attack at BlackGrowlmon, it did medium damage.

"Exhaust Flame!" BlackGrowlmon roared as he spew out black flames towards the Digimon, they dodged it and their partners and their friends watched in horror as the black flames melted a digiwall so bad but the wall regenerated.

"Oh man… That attack is powerful…" Kirie gulped.

"If we were caught by that attack… Game over for us." Agil muttered in shock.

"We can't let that stop us!" White Heart growled in fury as she charged towards BlackGrowlmon. "I'll send you to the deepest abyss of hell!" Just as White Heart was about to attack, BlackGrowlmon lashed his tail at her, knocking her into a wall.

"Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon launched his attack at BlackGrowlmon, but it fizzled out upon impact.

"Not good!" Houki tensed as BlackGrowlmon charged towards Leomon and punched him a few feet.

"Meteor Wing!"

"Needle Spray!"

"Strike Fang!" Birdramon, Togemon and Strikedramon combined their attacks to try to damage BlackGrowlmon, but it did medium damage.

"Growl Claw!" BlackGrowlmon roared as he used his claws to knock the three Champion Digimon into the floor. BlackGrowlmon then charged towards Leafa who panicked and knocked her into the floor.

"Ahh!" Leafa screamed as she struggled to get up.

"Leafa!" Kirito gasped in shock as BlackGrowlmon raised his claw up menaceingly towards Leafa. Kunsagi's eyes widen in shock as he remembered a painful memory from his past, a tragic one.

"No… I can't let that happen again!" Kunsangai screamed as he charged towards Leafa to save her.

"Kunsangai!" Veemon and Wormmon gasped in shock as Kunsangai managed to pick up Leafa fast enough before BlackGrowlmon can deliver the finishing blow.

"…?" Leafa opened her eyes and looked at the place where BlackGrowlmon could have finished her. "I'm… alive?" She looked up to see Kunsanagi looking at her while carrying her bridal style. "Kunsanagi? You saved me?"

"Yeah…" Kunsanagi smiled softly. "I just remember something from my past and I don't want history to repeat itself. So I had to save you." Veemon and Wormmon got in front of the two and glared at BlackGrowlmon. "Veemon! Wormmon! You can't fight him! He's too powerful!" Kunsanagi gasped in shock.

"Kunsanagi, when you saved Leafa… That convinces us that we want to help you and our new friends too!" Veemon reassured him as he got into a battle stance. "So there's no way we're letting this guy push you around like that!" Suddenly, Veemon started to glow.

"That's right. You are our friend, Kunsanagi." Wormmon nodded before glowing as well. "And these people you met are also your new friends and our new friends as well."

"Veemon… Wormmon…" Kunsanagi whispered in awe as a tear fell down his cheek before nodding in agreement with his two partners and shouted out "Alright! Let's go!"

"Veemon, digivolve to…!" Veemon started to grow and changed shape until the growing stopped and his new form is a large blue humanoid dragon with somewhat torn dragon wings and on his chest is a white X. "ExVeemon!"

"Wormmon, digivolve to…!" Wormmon changed shape and turned into a humanoid insect with wings and spiked shoulders. "Stingmon!"

 **(We Are Xros Heart from Digimon Xros Wars plays)**

"Awesome, they digivolved!" White Sister (Ram) cheered.

"Now it's our turn to help you." ExVeemon told his friend and partner as he got ready. "Vee-Laser!" ExVeemon yelled as he fired an energy wave from his X shaped chest and it did critical damage on BlackGrowlmon, making him roar in agony.

"It's working!" Gatomon cheered.

"Spinning Spiking Strike!" Stingmon yelled as he did quick kicks on BlackGrowlmon, giving him big damage. BlackGrowlmon tried to slash Stingmon with his Plasma Blade, but he evaded them easily and shouted out "Moon Shooter!" He fired a huge needle at BlackGrowlmon, giving him even more big damage.

"Now it's my turn!" ExVeemon yelled as he got ready. "Power Crunch!" ExVeemon then bite onto BlackGrowlmon's tail, giving him bigger damage and making the evil Digimon roared in pain.

"Multi-Moon Shooter!" Stingmon yelled as he fired multiple needles at BlackGrowlmon, giving him even more bigger damage.

"Now's our chance! GeoGreymon, finish the battle!" Ichika yelled.

"Roger! Mega Burst!" GeoGreymon launched his attack at BlackGrowlmon, damaging him greatly and ending the fight. BlackGrowlmon roared in agony as he was deleted while Mephisto screamed in agony as he fell on the floor unconscious.

After GeoGreymon delivered the final blow on BlackGrowlmon and deleted him, Mephisto lost consciousness and fell onto the floor with a loud thud. Our heroes all regroup with each other and looked at the unconscious hacker while Kusanagi puts Leafa back on solid ground and their Digimon partners all reverted back to their Rookie forms, save for Gatomon.

"Is… is he dead?" Klein asked while feeling tensed.

"I don't think so, Klein." Kirito answered him as he looked at Mephisto carefully. "I think he just fainted after BlackGrowlmon was deleted from GeoGreymon's last attack." Everyone nodded in agreement as he turns to his sister. "Leafa, are you okay? I was worried that BlackGrowlmon was about to kill you."

"Yeah, I'm still in one piece, Oni-chan. Thanks to Kusanagi, Veemon and Wormmon." Leafa said with a smile. "If they haven't jumped in and protected me from BlackGrowlmon, it would've been game over for me." She then turns to Kusanagi and smiled at him. "Thank you for saving me from BlackGrowlmon, Kusanagi. You're my hero today." She leans in and kisses his cheek as he blushes brightly with everyone smiling at them, but the moment was broken as the three masked hackers rushed over to Mephisto's unconscious body.

"Whumph…" Mephisto groans.

"Hey, Mephisto? Mephisto… Mephisto!" Masked Hacker yelled in concern.

"Wow, they look like they're really worried about Mephisto." Nepgear said in amazement. "It's almost like they were family and are always looking out for each other. Do you think there are some hackers that aren't as bad as we thought?" Everyone thought for a moment until they heard their Digivices ring and answered it.

"Kyoko!" Everyone gasped.

"Kyoko?" Kusanagi, Veemon and Wormmon asked in confusion.

"Well, glad to see you're all still in one piece." Kyoko said with a smile. "I was getting a little worried when that Digimon appeared from behind that man. So I take it you were able to find anything interesting during the case?"

"We've had a few bumps along the way, but we did find some interesting info." Ichika answered her. "Not only did we found out who was behind the raid on Yamashina's account, but we've also learned a few more things here. During our fight with BlackGrowlmon, it looked like that he was in control of Mephisto and not the other way around. It almost looked like Mephisto had no will of his own until BlackGrowlmon was deleted and he became unconscious."

"I see. All's well that ends well. This really is such an interesting case." Kyoko said as she scratched her chin in thought. "As you've said before, there are humans with Digimon collections. Do you suppose the opposite must be true as well?"

"Do you really think that Digimon can be just as bad as humans can?" Silica asked, feeling afraid. "Like how we saw with Mephisto and BlackGrowlmon?"

"Who's to say? Anything's possible if you look at it in another direction." Kyoko answered her. "I somehow don't find it that strange that there're Digimon with collections of human account info." She them turns her attention to the unconscious Mephisto. "Still, for it to be that Mephisto… Looks like the Digimon completely overtook its user's mental data, becoming the user itself."

"Is that really possible for a Digimon to overtake its user's mental data and become that very user?" Lisa asked in shock.

"Like I said, it's possible if you look at things in another direction." Kyoko answered her. "I want to check out what effect that has on the real world but, it doesn't pertain to our current investigation. Maybe next time."

"But what about the accounts BlackGrowlmon had collected while posing as Mephisto?" Asuna asked her as she pondered this. "What's going to happen to them now?"

"The accounts collected by BlackGrowlmon included the forcibly overtaken account of Makoto Yamashina." Kyoko explained. "I'm sure they'll automatically be returned to their proper users in a matter of minutes, even as we speak." Everyone breathe a sigh of relief that the accounts will be returned to their prior owners. "You've all done good work today. Come back to the agency. The wheels of fate are ever turning. Heh, I should bear that in mind." She then turns her attention to both Ichika and Satoru. "Is that not so, my dear Watson?" Both boys nodded as she ends the call and everyone made the trip back to the agency.

* * *

As our heroes were making the trek back to the agency in the real world, they could still remember how BlackGrowlmon was able to overtake Mephisto's mental data and become him to steal accounts. It gave them chills to think that Digimon can overtake a person and pose as them to do whatever they want.

"Damn, that was some crazy shit back there..." Agil muttered. "I can't believe that Mephisto guy was being used by that BlackGrowlmon thing and using him to steal accounts from people. Can Digimon really take over someone's mental data like that?"

"It's like Kyoko-nee said, anything's possible if we look at it in another direction." Satoru answered him with a serious frown. "There could be some Digimon that might take over a person and use them to their bidding. Something tells me we might be seeing other Digimon doing the same to more humans in the coming cases."

"Still, I can't help but feel bad for Mephisto…" Nepgear said sadly as she lowered her head down despondently. "He didn't have any control over himself and BlackGrowlmon was just using him to steal accounts from everyone. I hope he's gonna be all right."

"Nepgear, I get that you're worried about him, but he was still a hacker." Uni frowned as she said that coldly. "He and those other masked jerks raided accounts and was even wanting the account Ichika lied about. If you ask me, that guy got what he deserved for stealing all those accounts."

"I can't believe you'd say that, Uni!" Nepgear shouted in anger. "I know he was a hacker, but he was still a normal human! He wasn't in control of himself because BlackGrowlmon overtook his mental data! He was still an innocent human being used against his will by an evil Digimon!" Both girls glared at each other as sparks emitted from their eyes until Ichika stepped between them.

"Okay, settle down, you two. There's no need to fight." Ichika intervened. "We all know he was a hacker and wanted the account I lied about raiding, but that still doesn't change the fact that he was being used by BlackGrowlmon to steal accounts. We should be glad we were able to stop him before it got worse." Everyone nodded in agreement as both Nepgear and Uni calmed down.

"You're right, Ichika. We should be glad we stopped him." Nepgear agrees as she took Ichika's words to heart. "I was just upset at what Uni said about Mephisto getting what he deserved, but I suppose he does deserve that defeat we gave him." She then faces Uni. "Uni, I'm sorry for getting mad at you. I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

"Yeah, the same for me, Nepgear." Uni said with a soft smile. "I'm also sorry for saying those things about him and to you for worrying about him. I guess I was angry at him for stealing all those accounts from people that I didn't think about what I was saying. From now on, I'm gonna make sure I think before I say anything." Nepgear nodded in agreement as they hugged with everyone smiling.

"Okay, glad to see you two worked it out." Ichika smiled in approval. "I know you both had some good points about Mephisto's actions, but that's no reason to argue over about who's right or wrong. We should be glad we stopped them before it could get out of control." Everyone nodded in agreement as he turns to Kusanagi. "And on that note, do you have a Digivice to store Veemon and Wormmon in, Kusanagi?"

"A what now?" Kusanagi asked in confusion while blinking.

"You know, a Digivice." Ling answered him as she looked at him oddly. "It's a little device where you can store your partner in to keep him safe and bring him out if the coast is clear. We all have one." She and her friends all took out their Digivices and showed them to everyone. "Are you sure you don't have one?"

"Sorry, I have no idea what you're taking about." Kusanagi answered her with a sigh. "I don't even have one of those Digivices things you're talking about." Both Veemon and Wormmon nodded in agreement.

"But if he doesn't have a Digivice, then how is he going to store Veemon and Wormmon?" Cecilia asked in confusion. "He's going to need a Digivice to store Veemon and Wormmon to keep them safe from being seen by everyone else."

"If that's the case, then there's only one person who can help us." Houki agrees as she turned to Ichika. "Ichika, do you think Mirei can give Kusanagi a Digivice to store Veemon and Wormmon and keep them safe until it's only just all of just us?"

"Hmm, I believe she can, Houki." Ichika answered her with a nod. "We'd better go to her and see if she can give him a Digivice." His friends all nodded in agreement as he turns to their otherworldly friends. "Plus, it'll be a great way to introduce everyone to her as well. Now let's find an access point and head for the DigiLab." Satoru and Twoearle nodded while everyone was confused.

"DigiLab? What the hell is a DigiLab?" Noire asked in confusion. "And who the hell is this Mirei? Is she someone you guys know?"

"Yeah, we've met her over a week ago." Ichika answered her with a nod. "This was back when I met Kyoko, Satoru and Twoearle and when I used my Connect Jump ability for the first time. When we arrived back in EDEN, there was this bright light shinning and we've entered it where we've arrived in the DigiLab and met Mirei." Both Satoru and Twoearle nodded in agreement. "So if anyone can give Kusanagi a Digivice, it's her."

"But how are we going to find this DigiLab, Ichika?" Tatenashi asked him in confusion. "I don't think it's a forum like Zaxon was, so where can we find it?"

"Just before she sent us back to Kowloon, she said we should find an Access Point." Satoru answered her. "That's probably the only way to enter the DigiLab. But where are we going to find one?" Everyone looked around until Koyomi spots a hologram that resembles a high-tech phone with a sign that says Access Point rotating above it.

"Hey, what's that over there?" Koyomi asked as she pointed to the hologram. "Could that be the Access Point to the DigiLab you were talking about?" Everyone turned to where she's pointing.

"No doubt about it, that's got to be the Access Point Mirei told us about." Ichika answered her with a smile. "Nice work spotting it, Koyomi." Koyomi blushed from being praised as he walks over to the Access Point. "Okay, now let's see if this can take us to the DigiLab." As he pressed on the buttons, everyone was instantly teleported out of Kowloon.

* * *

In the DigiLab, Mirei was sitting in her seat and working on her laptop until she looks up at the terminal. In an instant, Ichika and the gang appears in the DigiLab as Mirei closes her laptop and stands up to meet with her visitors.

"Welcome back, Cyber Sleuths." Mirei greeted with a smile. "Nice to see all of you again, my friends. I trust that everything's been going well?" Ichika, Satoru, Twoearle and the IS girls nodded while their otherworldly friends were confused as she turns to them. "Ah, I see you also made some more friends. I trust they're all from other worlds, yes?" Everyone all gasped in shock.

"Wait, you knew about this, Mirei?" Houki asked with wide eyes in shock. "You knew they were from other worlds and they were coming here?"

"Yes, I did. I knew they'd be coming to this world." Mirei answered her with a nod. "And I also knew they'll be helping you in this adventure up down the road. But for now, I believe I'll save the rest for later. So, what do I owe of this visit from all of you?"

"Oh right, I almost forgot about that." Ichika remembered why they came here. "We came here to see you because our friend Kusanagi has Veemon and Wormmon as partners, but he doesn't have a Digivice. We were wondering if you could give him one."

"I see, that could be trouble without a Digivice." Mirei nods in understanding. "Very well, I shall give your friend a Digivice of his own. That way, he'll be able to store Veemon and Wormmon to keep them safe." She then turns to the trio. "But before I do, how did you encounter Veemon and Wormmon?"

"Well, they kinda found me only yesterday." Kusanagi answered her. "They found me lying on the floor in Kowloon and thought I was lost or abandon by my friends. Of course, I told them I never had any friends before because they always see me like I'm a freak. So they've decided to be my friends and we've together since until we later met with Ichika and the others and helped them on this case." Everyone nodded in agreement to confirm his answer as Veemon, Wormmon and Leafa stood by him. Also, everyone except for Fukuyama felt sorry for Kusanagi for not having any friends and felt angry at the people who called Kusanagi a freak.

"I see, that's quite the story there, Kusanagi-kun." Mirei said in understanding. "And from what I can see, they've already accepted you as their partner and you've even helped them digivolve. And so, I'll be more than happy to give you your own Digivice." She reaches into her pocket as she takes out a blue and green Digivice and hands it to Kusanagi. "Now hold it in front of them, it'll register them as your partners." Kusanagi nodded as he holds his Digivice out to Veemon and Wormmon as it registers them. "Perfect, now you three are partners. Now whenever you exit cyberspace, both Veemon and Wormmon will be in your Digivice in the real world. But you can also bring them into the real world when it's just all of you. Just say "Realize" and they'll appear in the real world."

"Okay, thanks for everything, Mirei." Kusanagi smiled in gratitude. "I'll be sure to use this Digivice as much as I can." Mirei smiled and nodded as he returns to his friends.

"Well, it's about time we head back to the real world." Ichika said "Thanks for giving our friend a Digivice, Mirei. I'm sure he'll put it to good use. We'll be coming back to see you again soon as well."

"I'll be looking forward to your next visit, Ichika." Mirei smiled. "If you ever need advice, don't be afraid to ask. I'll be sure to help in any way I can." Everyone nodded as they stepped back onto the terminal and exited the DigiLab back to Kowloon and continued on to the agency. "Of course, this is only the beginning of your journey. What you faced today was merely a taste for what's to come. So you all best be prepared for the coming trials down the line." She returns to her laptop and continues working.

* * *

Back in the real world, Kyoko was waiting at her desk for the return of Ichika and his friends from their first case. As she leans back in her chair, she turns her attention to the TV as the screen started glowing again and she knew what that meant, Ichika and his friends were returning to the real world. In an instant, Ichika and his friends appeared in the center of the office with their new friend Kusanagi as he regains his composure.

"Whoa, tha sure was one hell of a ride." Kusanagi muttered in awe. "Now I know what it feels like to be downloaded from a computer. Remind me to never take my music on my iPod for granted again."

"Sorry about that, it's takes a while to get used to." Ichika apologized. "Believe me, we were all getting used to it before over a week ago, so you're not the only one." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Still, we were able to get used to it after awhile so I'm sure you will too." Kusanagi nodded in agreement as they all turned to Kyoko. "Kyoko, we're back. We were able to get back Yamashina's account from the hackers."

"That you did, great work out there, Cyber Sleuths." Kyoko smiled as she gave him a thumbs up. "And thanks to the release of Yamashina's account, I was able to salvage the account info. Thanks to this, I found his current address and checked it. Along the way I looked into his family data. Some interesting facts came to light."

"What kind of facts about his family, Kyoko?" Asuna asked in confusion. "Was there any connection between him and Yuuko-san?"

"That's just it, there was no connection between them." Kyoko answered her with a serious frown. "As it turns out, our client—this "Yuuko Yamashina"—is very clearly not the same daughter listed here." Everyone gasped in shock while Kusanagi was confused. "Should I have guessed as much? Or should I say it's just too silly?" Everyone half fainted while Kusanagi was still confused. "You all still haven't figured it out? Hee hee, our work relationship remands sound!"

"Huh? What are you guys all talking about?" Kusanagi asked in confusion. "And who is this Yuuko Yamashina you're talking about?" Kyoko then turns to his direction.

"Oh, I didn't see you've brought in one more with you." Kyoko said in awe as she looked at Kusanagi. "I take it that my assistants found you and Kowloon and brought you here, yes?" Kusanagi turns to her and nodded. "I see, that's one more to add in to the team. We'll bring you up to speed later, we've got something important to do." She turns her attention to Ichika, Satoru and Twoearle. "For now, let's head to the Yamashina house. What shall we find in the home of a man who's disappeared? There's only one way to find out." The three friends nodded in agreement and followed her out the office to parking garage and hopped into her car and drove off.

"Okay, so what was that all about?" Kusanagi asked in confusion as he scratched his head. "And what's going on here? Are you guys detectives or something?"

"Not exactly, we're assistants to Kyoko who is a detective." Houki answered him with a smile. "We've just became her assistants over a week ago and are now working part-time with her, but I can tell you it's a long story. And while they're out, we can tell you everything until they get back." Kusanagi nodded as he sits on the right sofa while Houki and their friends sit on the left sofa with everyone else standing behind them as they started explaining the situation to him.

* * *

After driving for an hour and a half, Kyoko, Ichika, Satoru and Twoearle arrived at an apartment complex. As they exited the car, they headed up the stairs of the complex until they've reached the 8th floor and made their way to the door at the very end of the balcony. Upon reaching the door, Kyoko reaches forward and presses the doorbell as they hear a voice from inside.

"Yes, who is it?" A man's voice asked as the door opens to reveal himself to his visitors.

"Good afternoon. This is the Yamashina residence, is it not?" Kyoko asked.

"It is, but… who are you?" The man asked in confusion.

"We're actually looking for someone. Excuse me, but might I inquire as to your name?" Kyoko asked him.

"What? I'm Makoto Yamashina, but…" Makoto answered her as he looked at the trio suspiciously as Ichika gasped in surprise.

"Thank you, Mr. Yamashina. One more question, sir." Kyoko began. "I've heard someone in this area has gone missing. Might you know who could it be?" Unknown to Yamashina, she was giving hand singles to Ichika, Satoru and Twoearle. Ichika was confused while Satoru and Twoearle knew what do to as Twoearle takes out a tablet and hands it to Satoru as he takes out a stylist pen and beings writing down information.

"A missing person? No, I don't have the slightest idea." Makoto answered her as he scratched his chin in thought.

"I see. Might I speak with your family about this as well?" Kyoko asked him.

"Unfortunately, my wife and daughter are out at the moment." Makoto answered her.

"Where might your daughter be?" Kyoko asked and before Makoto could answer, there as another voice calling out.

"Daddy, what's the matter?" A girl's voice asked as everyone turned around.

"Ah, you're home! Such good timing! There's someone here who wants a word." Makoto answered with a smile as a girl about the same age as Ichika, Satoru and Twoearle walks over to her father and stands next to him. "This is my daughter, Chika." This time, all three friends gasped in surprise to learn that Chika was Yamashina's daughter and not Yuuko.

"Huh? What is this?" Chika asked in confusion as she looked at the three friends in confusion.

"Hmm… This is your daughter, Mr. Yamashina? You've no other children?" Kyoko asked him as she scratched her chin in thought.

"No. Chika is my only child. Why do you ask?" Makoto asked as he titled his head in confusion.

"Just who are you, exactly?" Chika also asked as she glared at the trio.

"They're asking after a missing person in the area. Do you know of anyone missing?" Makoto asked his daughter.

"Missing? Hmm. No, I haven't heard of anything like that." Chika answered him as she placed her hand on her chin in thought.

"There you have it. I'm sorry we weren't of much help." Makoto said with closed eyes and a smile.

"Not at all. Thank you for your assistance." Kyoko said in gratitude. "We were able to get the info we needed after all." She glances over to Satoru who nodded and she nodded back before turning back to the Yamashinas. "By the way, Mr. Yamashina, are you aware that your EDEN account was hacked?"

"EDEN?" Makoto asked in confusion.

"You can rest assured, however, that we have restored the account. You can use it freely now." Kyoko said as Makoto just went silent. "Is something wrong, Mr. Yamashina?"

"Please, just… please leave now!" Chika shouted in anger.

"Huh?" Kyoko blinked in confusion.

"It… It doesn't matter. Just leave! We don't know anything about any missing person!" Chika yelled. "Let's go, Daddy!" She takes her father's arm and drags him back into the room before slamming the door shut.

"Hmm. That was quite the brush-off." Kyoko muttered. "And yet, we still got a lot of valuable info." The three friends nodded in agreement. "This Chika is certainly Mr. Yamashina's daughter. Which means our client pretended to be Yamashina's daughter for the case."

"But if that's the case, then why did she lie to us?" Ichika asked in confusion. "Why would Yuuko want to pretend to be his daughter and asked us for a case?"

"I'm not really interested in why she was deceiving us on that front." Kyoko answered him. "But she wanted to find out something about him. What's the connection between the two of them? That's what really piques my interest. However, there's one more thing I'm concerned about."

"And what's that, Kyoko-nee?" Satoru asked her.

"It's nothing, let's leave that for now." Kyoko answered him with a smile. "Our client said she'd come back to the agency. Let's have some ourselves some coffee and wait for her!" That made the three friends all flinched in fear. "Come on, let's head back to the agency." They headed back down the stairs and got into her car as they left the complex and headed back to Nakano

* * *

Back at the agency, Houki and her friends had just finished explaining to Kusanagi about what was going on about the EDEN Syndrome, Ichika having a half-cyber body and everything else that had happened until now. As they finished talking, the door opens as Kyoko, Ichika, Satoru and Twoearle returned from their visit to the Yamashina household.

"Hey, welcome back, guys." Ling greeted them. "We've been looking after the fort while you were out. So did you guys find anything about Yamashina?"

"Oh yeah, we've found a lot of info about him." Satoru answered her with a serious frown. "But we'll start with the big one from our investigation. You guys all remember when Yuuko came in and asked us to retrieve her father's account, right?" Everyone nodded. "Well as it turns out, Makoto Yamashina isn't her father at all. The name of his real daughter is named Chika and she's his only kid." Everyone gasped in shock. "Yeah, we've found out that she lied to us about her being his daughter and hired us for this case."

"But why would she lie to us about her being Yamashina's daughter?" Char asked in confusion as she covered her mouth in shock. "What was her reason for wanting us to retrieve his account from the hackers? What's the connection between them?"

"That we're not sure of, but we did managed to get some interesting info." Kyoko answered her as she scratched her chin in thought. "From what we've gather, Makoto Yamashina is nothing more than a normal family man living a happy life with his wife and Chika. But when we've mentioned his EDEN account, we've got an interesting reaction from him and Chika. It looked like he was trying to remember something about EDEN, but his daughter stepped in and dragged him back into the house before slamming the door on us. Judging from her reaction, there might be some connection between them after all."

"The real question is, what is the connection between Yuuko and Mayashina?" Satoru asked as he pondered this. "Could they have known each other from back then? Like she knew him from a place she often visits?"

"We'll have to save that for another time until we find any more information." Kyoko answered him. "Right now, our client should be on her way as of this moment. Let's keep those thoughts in the back burner for now." Everyone nodded in agreement until they heard the door open as Yuuko walks into the office.

"Hello there." Yuuko greeted.

"You came. And much earlier than I expected. You are indeed an excellent client." Kyoko said with a smile. "Please, take a seat on the sofa. The investigation concluded. I can offer you my report." Yuuko gasped in surprise before she takes a seat on the right sofa while Kyoko, Satoru and Twoearle sits on the left with everyone else behind them as she begins explaining their findings. "…and here are the results of the investigation." She hands her a folder on the table as Yuuko was silent. "A hacker team known as Zaxon was involved in the amount raid."

"Zaxon?!" Yuuko gasped in shock.

"Makoto Yamashina is not missing at all. He's living a normal life. Happily, with his daughter Chika and his wife." Kyoko said as Yuuko went silent again, knowing she was found out. "I'd like to bring this investigation to a close, if you don't mind." Yuuko just sighed before she nodded.

"No, there's no problem. Thank you very much." Yuuko said in gratitude..

"Hmm… I wonder why she didn't answer until now?" Ichika asked in confusion "Could she be really hiding something from us?" He thought for a moment before shaking his head and decided to ask her. "Um. isn't there a problem, though?" Yuuko went silent again as she stands up from the sofa.

"I'll be back." Yuuko said quietly as she starts walking towards the door.

"You're welcome at any time. Next time, feel free to use your real name." Kyoko said with a smirk before saying "Ms. Yuuko Kamashiro." Yuuko stopped in her tracks just before the door as everyone gasped in shock. Yuuko said nothing as she turns the handle of the door and continues on her way.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

In another part of Kowloon, an all too familiar figure was lying on the floor until he begins to stir. He begins to push himself off the floor and sits back up while shaking his head to ease the pain.

"Ow… What the hell was that all about?" Meta Knight muttered. "And what was the deal with that earthquake? Was that a glitch in Aincrad?" As he places his hand on his face, he noticed something was missing from his face. "Huh? My mask? What happened to my mask?" As he looks around for his mask, he hears someone calling out to him.

"Well, look who finally decided to wake up from his beauty sleep." An unknown voice said tauntingly. "I thought for sure you'd be pushing up daisies right about now, but I suppose that's not the case." Meta Knight turns around to see a small purple imp Digimon wearing a red bandana around his neck and red gloves sitting on a digiblock and spinning his mask on his finger.

"What the?! Where did you come from?" Meta Knight asked in confusion and shock. "And what are you? Are you some kind of imp or something?"

"Well, I can see you're not as dumb as you look. bub." The imp Digimon said with a smirk. "Name's Impmon, I'm what they called a Digimon, short for Digital Monster. So what about you, pally? Do you have a name?"

"I do, but I only use it to people I trust." Meta Knight answered him with a sad frown. "I've been looked down upon by other people because me and several others have an unfair advantage over them and they all flat out hate us. I guess I've been very weary of people, only trusting a select few of them." That made Impmon stop spinning his mask and lowers his head. "What about you, Impmon? Have you ever had anyone you trusted?"

"I did, but it's a long story." Impmon answered him with a sad frown. "I was with some other Digimon I know, but some things happened and I didn't want to be part of them anymore. Ever since then, I've been on my own with no one else around me." He chuckled a little. "But I suppose that's life for someone like me, being alone where no one wants anything to do with you." He then felt Meta Knight's hand on his shoulder.

"Then maybe we can keep each other company." Meta Knight said with a smile. "Believe me, I know what it's like to not be wanted, but I still did managed to make a few friends. One in particular was more driven to find a way out of our prison and save everyone from our virtual nightmare. Though, I'm wondering what's he doing now?" He looks up into the digisky and starts thinking about his friend before turning back to Impmon. "Hey, you asked for my name, right? To most people, I go by Meta Knight. But for you, you can call me Elias." He holds his hand out to Impmon as he nods and takes his hand into his and both shook hands.

"The pleasure's all mine, Elias." Impmon said with a smirk. "You're not that bad at all." He then holds the mask out to Elias. "Oh, here's your mask back. You'll probably be needing it for the road ahead." Elias nodded in agreement as he takes his mask back and places it back on his face.

"Thanks, Impmon. I really appreciate you watching over me." Meta Knight (Elias) smiled in gratitude. "I'll be sure to return the favor in some way, but let's find a way out of here first. I'm sure we'll get to know each other more along the way." Impmon nodded in agreement as he jumps off the digiblock and they started walking to search for a way out of Kowloon.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next chapter: Cyber Sleuths vs Nerima Wrecking Crew! Wrath of the Flymon Swarm!**

 **A/n: Sorry it took us so long to finish this chapter. This is possibly the second longest chapter we have ever did. Anyway, next up is the second anime filler segment with the first part featuring Ranma ½. So we hope to see you soon.**


	14. Cyber Sleuths VS Nerima Wrecking Crew!

**A/N: Heya. Again, I would like to apologize for the long wait for Chapter 13, it was the biggest chapter me and Panther J has done since a chapter of MegaMan X IS. So hopefully, this chapter will not take too long to write. Another thing, I would like to go over one thing. There are cases that are before the ones with Nokia, Arata or Yuuko, so they will also be main cases. And without further ado, here is Chapter 14, the first part of the second anime filler segment with Ranma 1/2.**

 **Warning: Expect Neptune to break the fourth wall a little bit in this chapter.**

 **Neptune: You know it, buster! (Winks)**

 **Chapter 14: Cyber Sleuths vs Nerima Wrecking Crew! Wrath of the Flymon Swarm!**

* * *

Not long after Yuuko had departed from the agency, our heroes were relaxing around the office while bringing their new friend Kusanagi up to speed on what's been going on for the past couple of days. All the while, they still couldn't get the reason why Yuuko lied to them about her being Makoto Yamashina's daughter to take the case and her real name being Yuuko Kamashino, the same name of the company they're trying to take down.

"Wow, I had no idea what was going on." Kusanagi muttered in shock. "I thought it was already bad enough about that Heathcliff guy trapping people inside SAO, but this EDEN Syndrome sounds just as bad. Not sure which is scarier, now that I think about it."

"I'm sure both of them are scary in their own right, but that's not the worse of it." Ichika frowned seriously. "The worst part is that we're not even sure what's going to happen to the ones with EDEN Syndrome. There's still no word of a cure and we don't know what's going to happen to the victims if this keeps going." Everyone nodded in agreement as Houki brought up another subject.

"Not only that, there's also the fact that Yuuko lied to us before…" Houki stepped in as she questioned Yuuko's actions. "She said she was Makoto Yamashina's daughter, but the real name of his daughter is Chika. And there's also the fact that her real name is Yuuko Kamishino, the same company that's rumored to be behind all these incidents. But the real question is why did she lied to us about her name? Does she have a reason to lie to us about something?"

"It's possible, but we can't really say for sure." Satoru answered her as he scratched his chin in thought. "If she does have a reason to lie to us, then there must something that only she knows and we'll have to find out for ourselves later on." Everyone went silent for a moment until Kyoko decided to break the ice.

"Now now, let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet." Kyoko advised. "I know you all have a lot of questions, but the answers won't be coming to us on a silver platter. We'll have to continue taking cases until we find more evidence about Kamishino and Yuuko's connection with them." Everyone all looked at each other and realized she was right and calmed down.

"Yeah, you're right, Kyoko. We shouldn't let these questions get to us." Ichika agrees with a relieved smile. "It's just as you told me before, if we run into this blindly, then we won't get anywhere fast. We can't let these questions distract us from finding out the real truth about these incidents and Kamishino's actions." Everyone nodded in agreement as he turns to Kyoko and smiled. "Thanks, Kyoko, for reminding us to keep a calm head and not rush in so recklessly." Everyone turned to her and nodded in agreement.

"It was my pleasure, Ichika. And I'm also glad you remembered what I told you before." Kyoko smiled with closed eyes. "I know everyone has questions about why Yuuko lied to us and how I knew her real name, but it's best we not think about them at this moment. For now, take this time to rest up and be ready for your next case." Everyone nodded in agreement as they all stretched.

"Speaking of which, it's about time we'd headed for home." Satoru yawned. "After all that excitement during the case, I'd say we definitely earned it. That way, we can be ready for our next case." Everyone nodded in agreement until Kusanagi spoke up.

"That's all well and good, but where am I going to stay?" Kusanagi asked in concern. "I don't suppose you guys know of any hotels around here?"

"Sorry, but I'm afraid we can't pay for hotels." Kyoko answered him. "It'll be much too expensive to even let you stay for one night, so we'll have to come up with another solution. Now where can you stay without breaking the bank?"

"Hey, maybe he can come to the IS Academy with us." Tatenashi suggested. "That way, he can have somewhere to stay and he'll be attending our classes as well." Everyone all nodded in agreement.

"Not a bad idea, Tatenashi." Ichika agrees with a smile. "We can get him a room at the dorms and introduce him to everyone." Everyone nodded in agreement as they looked at his armor. "But much like Kirito and the others, we're gonna have to get him some new clothes." Everyone nodded again as Kusanagi looked at his armor and realized he was right.

"No kidding, I'm really gonna need some new clothes." Kusanagi agrees with an embarrassed smile. "I kinda forgot about that after being trapped in SAO for two years, so I'm not even sure what kind of clothes to buy."

"Don't worry, we can help you with that." Kirito smiled as he place his hand on his shoulder. "Ichika and his friends helped us find some new clothes for our stay at their school, so we'll do the same for you. Think of it as my way of saying thanks for saving my sister from BlackGrowlmon." Everyone nodded in agreement as Leafa blew a kiss at him and he blushed brightly.

"In that case, you all better hurry and start shopping." Kyoko said with a smile. "You've only got two more hours until Nakano closes for the night, so just buy what you can for tonight. You can buy more clothes at a later date." Everyone nodded and headed out of the office to do some more clothes shopping for their new friend.

Not long after exiting the office, our heroes returned to the 2nd floor to do more clothes shopping for Kusanagi. Upon arriving at Casual Male XL, everyone entered the store and started browsing through the racks and shelves around the store. While searching through the store, Ichika, Kirito, Satoru and Leafa picked some from the racks and hands them to Kusanagi.

"Here Kusanagi, try on these clothes." Ichika smiled as he picked out some clothes. "I'm sure you'll like these." He hands the clothes over to Kusanagi as he nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, Ichika. I think I'll ry them on now." Kusanagi said as he heads for the changing room to try on the clothes.

* * *

For the next hour, Kusanagi was trying on different clothes ranging from casual to formal and others. With most of the casual and formal clothes, Leafa thought he looked either cute or handsome that he couldn't help but blush at her complements while everyone smiled with the girls giggling at their budding love. After finding all the clothes he likes and putting back the ones he didn't like or care about, they've paid for the clothes and headed back to the agency.

"Well, that sure was a lot easier than last time." Ling grinned. "We were able to find a good amount of clothes for Kusanagi's stay at our school. Of course it's mostly because we were helping out one person this time instead of multiple people like yesterday." Everyone nodded in agreement while walking down the stairs.

"Yeah, and all before everything closed for the night." Ichika agrees with a nod. "We were lucky that Casual Male was still open while the other stores were starting to close up. Now we won't have to worry about clothes for a while." Everyone nodded in agreement as they arrived back at the agency and entered it to find Kyoko packing some files.

"Ah, welcome back, my assistants." Kyoko greeted with a smile. "Nice to see you're all done shopping. So did you all managed to find everything for Kusanagi's stay at your school?"

"Yeah, we were able to find everything for him." Ichika answered her while smiling back. "We were definitely lucky to find Casual Male still open and managed to buy what he needed for his stay at the academy." Everyone nodded in agreement "So what's going on here? You cleaning up some stuff?"

"In a way, yes. I'm just organizing some old files." Kyoko answered him as she began explaining. "A lot of them were from the time my father and aunt ran the agency together back when I was still in middle school and Satoru was in elementary. Whenever they go on case, they'd always let us know by leaving a note on the door whenever we come by. A lot of these files were from the cases they've solved over the years and have been piling up for a while now, so I've decided to organize them."

"They must've been really nice people to you and Satoru-kun, Kyoko-san." Silica smiled. "I bet they were great detectives that you two looked up to and wanted to be like them when you grow up."

"Funny you should say that, Silica, because we went beyond that." Kyoko said with a smile. "Back in our old schools, we had our own mystery clubs where we solved our own cases like who stole someone's lunch money and exposing a teacher's actions towards students. Heh, I suppose you can say we had our own cases to solve during our childhood and it helped us became how we are now." Satoru smiled and nodded in agreement as he also remembers their childhood.

"Wow, you two really had some great memories from back then." Asuna smiled. "I can definitely see you two having fun being detectives during your school days. Is that the reason why you're both now running the agency together?"

"Well, yes and no, Asuna." Satoru answered her with a sad sigh. "Yes, because they were the main inspiration for us wanting to be detectives like them. And no, because they died during a case some time ago and now Kyoko-nee's running the agency."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it was a sensitive issue." Asuna apologized as she lowered her head despondently. "I didn't realized they died some time ago, I'm sorry for bringing a bad memory up."

"It's all right, we've managed to overcome their deaths after some time." Kyoko reassured her. "Although, Satoru had it worse because of some complications, but we were able to overcome them." She turns to the clock on the wall. "And on that note, I believe it's time we close up for the night. There's a lot of info we've managed to gather, so we'll go over them tomorrow. Get some rest and we'll go over what we've learned." Everyone nodded as they all exited the agency and headed for the bus station while Kyoko locks the door and headed for her car.

* * *

 **(Meanwhile, in another world…)**

* * *

"RANMA YOU IDIOT!" Akane Tendou screamed in fury as she swing her mallet at Ranma Saotome. Once again, Ranma has insulted Akane's cooking and she's taking her anger out on him. Ranma ducked and ran for his life while Akane chased after him.

"Damnit, Akane! Why can't you understand your cooking sucks ass?!" Ranma yelled as Akane threw a bucket of cold water on him, turning him into a girl. Unfortunately, for him, Ryoga who just gotten lost again spotted Ranma in girl form.

"Saotome! You will pay for what you did to me!" Ryoga yelled in anger as he threw his bandanas at him, err, her. She dodged it and punched Ryoga in the stomach, making him groan in pain.

"Ranma! You stupid insensitive jerk! Stop hurting Ryoga!" Akane was even angrier than before as she slams her mallet down on Ranma, she dodged rolled out of the way and continued to run with Akane and Ryoga chasing him throughout Nerima.

As Ranma ran for his/her life, Ukyo and Shampoo spotted him/her. "Ranma!" Ukyo gasped in shock. Ukyo is a childhood friend of Ranma and also in love with him.

"Ranma! Shampoo is here to protect you from meanie Akane!" Shampoo, the Amazon warrior who is in love with Ranma said happily as she charged towards Akane and got into a fist fight with her. Things got even worse when Mousse appeared.

"Ranma! Time to fight!" Mousse yelled in fury as he got out his… Okay, I have no idea what he's using, so let's call them spoon like weapons or something.

"My pigtailed goddess!" Tatewaki Kuno, the resident idiot dived towards Ranma to glomp her, she ducked and gave Tatewaki a kick in the stomach. Ranma continued to run for her life when suddenly Kodachi stepped in front of her and glared at her.

"Okay, you red hussie! I'm not letting you anywhere near my Ranma!" She got out her ribbon and was ready to kick Ranma's ass. Nabiki Tendou and Kasumi walked by.

"Ranma! Are you alright?" Kasumi gasped in shock.

"If you want out of this, you'll have to pay me." Nabiki smirked. Suddenly, an earthquake occurred. "W-What the?!" Nabiki gasped in shock. The rest of the Nerima Wrecking crew stopped in front of Ranma and noticed the earthquake.

"RANMA! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Akane screamed in fury.

"Nothing! Stop accusing me of doing crap I haven't done!" Ranma screamed in frustration. Suddenly, a bright light appeared and engulfed the Nerima Wrecking Crew for about 50 seconds until it disappeared. When it cleared, the Nerima Wrecking Crew were nowhere in sight as if they never existed.

* * *

 **(In Ichika's world.)**

* * *

"Whoa!" Ichika woke up with a sudden gasp as he panted heavily and looked around. He was in his room at his house.

"Boss! Was it another dream?" Agumon gasped as he woke up and saw Ichika covered in sweat.

"Yeah…" Ichika nodded slowly as he looked out his window. "This time, it was another world."

"What was the dream about?" Agumon asked him in concern.

"That world… is very weird to say the least. And the people who live there have a few screws loose. And one of them turned into a girl by being splashed with cold water. And then, the same earthquake from Kirito's world appeared and same white light caught those people and they disappeared. It will possibly be a repeat of what happened with Kirito and his friends, only this time, there are people from another world." Ichika explained.

"Then we better help them tomorrow!" Agumon urged.

"Yeah. But we can't let them attend the IS Academy because of their messed up daily lives." Ichika told him as he and Agumon slept for the night.

* * *

The next morning, Ichika and Agumon woke up and headed for the kitchen to have breakfast and found the CPUs, Leafa, Yui and Pina all sitting around the table. The girls all turned to them and greeted the boys as they sat down at the table with them.

"Morning, you two. Glad to see you boys could join us." Vert greeted with a smile. "I trust that you boys were able to sleep well last night?"

"Not really, I had another strange dream last night..." Ichika answered her with a sigh. "But unlike the one I had with you and your friends, Leafa, this one was a lot crazier. From what I told Agumon last night, it all started with this guy running from a girl because he told her that her cooking sucks. As the chase continues on, several more people came in and all joined in the chase after this guy around town until they were caught by an earthquake and just vanished in a bright light, almost like they never existed." The girls gasped in shock.

"Hold on, are you serious, Ichika?" Noire asked with wide eyes. "Are you saying that another group is coming to this world in the same way as Kirito and the others yesterday?"

"Believe me, I couldn't make that up if I tried, Noire…" Ichika answered her with a serious frown. "I'm sure they were caught in the same earthquake that brought Leafa and the others here, but that's not the weird part. The weird part is where the girl throws a bucket of water on the guy and, you're not going to believe this, he changed into a girl!"

"Wait, what?!" The girls all gasped in shock.

"Yeah, I couldn't even believe it either." Ichika agrees, nodding in response. "It was just really weird seeing him turn into a girl after being splashed by water. But there also no question about it, they'll be coming here and we have to help them as Agumon said." Agumon nodded in agreement.

"But what's going to happen after we find them?" Blanc asked with a concerned look. "From what you said about them chasing this one person, I don't think they'll be in a listening mood. They'll probably believe we're the ones who took them from their home. What kind of plan do you have if they start attacking us?"

"I'm not entirely sure yet, but I'll think of something." Ichika answered her as he rubbed his chin in thought. "I'm sure we'll be able to convince them that we're not the ones responsible for bringing them here. Right now, I'll have to tell the others about this as well. They'll need to know about what's going to happen later on." Everyone nodded in agreement as he and Agumon sits at the table and started having breakfast.

* * *

After finishing breakfast, Ichika got ready for school and recalls Agumon back into his Digivice before heading out the door and to school. Upon arriving at the academy, he made just in before the bells rings and sat down at his desk with his friends all arriving as well. Just as class was about to start, Ichika started telling the rest of his friends what he told Agumon, Leafa, Yui and the CPUs.

"Wait, are you serious, Ichika?" Klein asked with a gasp. "Are you saying that you had another vision about more people coming here? The same one you had with us?"

"No doubt about it, Klein. It's exactly like how I saw you guys before." Ichika answered him with a nod as he continued. "And like all of you, they were caught in a strange earthquake and just vanished, like they never existed. So I'm willing to bet they'll be arriving in Kowloon at this moment."

"But what are we going to do if we find them?" Char asked in concern. "I'm not sure they'll listen to us because they'll think we're the ones who brought them here. How can we explain to them that we're not the culprits?"

"Blanc asked me the same thing, but I'm still not sure about that yet." Ichika answered her as he pondered about this. "We'll have to see what we'll do if we do encounter them. So if they do start attacking us, we'll have to fight back against them." Everyone nodded in agreement as Maya walks into the classroom.

"Okay, everyone, you all know the drill by now." Maya smiled "We've got another student joining us and I hope you all treat him with respect." She turns to the door and motions Kusanagi to enter as he walks into the room and stand next to her. "Everyone, I'd like you all to meet Hikaru Kendo. He was a last minute addition to the program with Kazuto and his friends, but had to arrive at a later date." She turns to Kusanagi and nodded to him as he stepped forward.

"It's true, I was added in at the last minute, but everyone else had already left." Kusanagi said with a smile. "So I had to wait a day until I can come here and join them for the program. And since I'm now here with everyone, I hope we can get along." He bows at everyone as the room was dead silent. Then in an instant, all the girls started crowding him except for Houki and her friends, Asuna and her friends and Miharu and her friends.

"Oh my gosh, he's just so adorable!" One girl squealed. "How on Earth we didn't even know about boys before? Or just how cute they are?"

"I know, it's like they were keeping a secret from us!" Another girl agrees with a giggle. "And I'm glad this program started, now we get to meet boys for the first time!" The other girls all nodded in agreemen and excitement as they continued crowding him while Ichika and his friends were watching.

"Okay, it's official. This joke is starting to get really annoying…" Ling moaned. "Seriously, every time we bring a new boy in, the girls here just go nuts over them. This is like, what, the 5th or 6th time this happened?"

"I don't know, I lost count after the 3rd time this happened." Tatenashi answered her with a sweat drop. "And now it looks like he's got it worse than you, Satoru, Yukinari, Kirito and Klein, Ichika." The boys in question all sighed and nodded. "He'd better hope Leafa doesn't know about this or he's in the doghouse." Everyone nodded in agreement as they watched their friend being surrounded by girls.

* * *

 **Back at the Orimura Residence**

* * *

While helping Nepgear, Uni, Rom and Ram in cleaning up Ichika's house, Leafa stopped sweeping the floor while clutching the handle of the broom. The CPUs noticed her standing still and went to check on her.

"Hey Leafa, what's wrong?" Uni asked in concern. "I thought you were sweeping the floor over here. And why are you twisting the broom handle?"

"I don't even know myself, Uni... I suddenly feel this jealously building up inside me…" Leafa answered her with an angry frown. "It's almost like I'm feeling something boiling inside me and I don't know why. But I suddenly have this feeling of punishing Kusanagi later when they get out of school…" She twisted the broom handle so hard that she snaps it in two. The CPU Candidates sweat dropped.

* * *

After the school has ended for the day, Ichika and his friends picked up Leafa, Yui, Pina and the CPUs from his house before heading for the agency at Nakano. While riding on the bus, Kusanagi was breathing a sigh of relief from being crowed by girls throughout the day wanting his attention. Luckily, everyone was able to calm Leafa down before she could punish him for something he had no control over.

"Geez, I thought I wasn't going to survive all those girls." Kusanagi muttered. "I didn't think the girls there would be this excited at meeting a boy. It's almost like they've never seen one in their entire life."

"Sad thing is that you're right, Kusanagi-san." Houki said with a dull expression. "Because the IS Academy was built to train girls on using the IS, not a lot of them has ever seen a boy before until Ichika was enrolled. So you'll have to get used to the girls trying to get your attention like they've doing to Ichika, Satoru, Yukinari, Kirito and Klein for the past few days now." The boys in question all nodded in agreement.

"But if that's the case, then how was Ichika and the rest of them enrolled in the first place?" Kusanagi asked in confusion. "Did they have to do some kind of test to be accepted into school?"

"Not exactly, there was another reason for me being accepted into the IS Academy." Ichika answered him with a smile. "While it was mostly due to my older sister being one of the teachers and a famous IS pilot, the real reason why I was accepted was because I was the only boy who can pilot an IS just as skilled as the girls can. But because I was the only boy until now, a lot of the girls were trying to get my attention."

"As for the rest of us, we were accepted for this program going on at the school." Satoru explained. "The program was pitched by Ichika's sister and Maya-sensei to the other teachers to make the school co-ed and they agreed to the idea. So now they're accepting boys at the academy until the end of the year where it's decided to make the school co-ed or not." Everyone else all nodded in agreement.

"Wow, that does sound really interesting." Kusanagi gasped in awe. "So this program they're doing is going to determine whether or not the school is going to be co-ed by the end of the year?" Everyone nodded. "Cool, I'd really like to see how well this program plays out and see what happens by the end of the year." Everyone smiled and nodded in agreement as the bus reaches its destination.

* * *

Upon arriving back at Nakano Broadway, our heroes made their way to the office to meet up with Kyoko and Agil to see if there were any more cases. As they entered the office, Agil was the only person sitting on one of the sofas, but Kyoko was nowhere to be seen. Agil turned to faced them and waved at his younger friends.

"Hey guys, nice of ya'll to drop by." Agil greeted with a smile. "I take it you were all expecting Kyoko to be here as well, right?"

"Yeah, we wanted to tell her about this vision I saw last night." Ichika answered him. "Remember how I saw all of you in my vision before?" Agil nodded as he knows what he's talking about. "Yeah, I saw more people in this one last night and we wanted to tell her, but I guess she's not here. Did she say where she was going?"

"Yeah, she said that she was meeting with someone named Detective Matayoshi." Agil answered him. "He invited her for some important business and they decided to talk about it over lunch. So she got up and left to meet with him just before you guys arrived."

"Huh, then I guess we just missed her." Satrou figured. "She probably got into her car and drove passed us while we were getting off the bus. That explains the honking we heard before, that was her letting us know she was heading out, but we didn't see her."

"So what are we going to do now?" Ram asked as she tapped her foot impatiently. "Since Kyoko's not here, what can we do until she returns from her meeting with this Matayoshi guy?"

"Hey, how about we do some training in Kowloon?" Houki suggested with a smile. "Since we've got some time until she gets back, we can train with our Digimon partners to improve our fighting skills. That way when we do have another case, we'll be ready for whatever Digimon or hacker we might run into."

"Not a bad idea, Houki." Ichika agrees with a smile. "It was really tough fighting against BlackGrowlmon yesterday, so there's no saying if any Digimon we might encounter later on will be even stronger. We should definitely take this opportunity to make sure we don't get rusty when Kyoko gives us another case. Let's head for Kowloon and get this training underway." Everyone nodded in agreement as they all gather around him as he uses his Connect Jump to enter the TV while Satoru and Twoearle followed behind on his computer after entering their EDEN accounts.

* * *

Upon arriving back in Kowloon, our heroes made their way to Galatica Park to start on their first training session with their Digimon partners to prepare themselves for the coming battles ahead. As they arrived at the park, they were deciding on who should fight with whom during the training while everyone else watched.

"Okay, this is the perfect place to start with our training." Ichika smiled as he looked around the area. "We can use Galatica Park as our training grounds when we have some free time. And since we won't have to deal with hackers for a while, we can be ready until our next case starts." Everyone nodded in agreement until Laura noticed something.

"Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we've got a slight problem." Laura frowned as she gestured to Kusanagi, Veemon and Wormmon. "Kusanagi's the only person who has two Digimon while the rest of us only have one. How can we make this work if one of us has more than one Digimon?" Everyone all thought about it and realized she was right.

"You have a good point, Laura." Cecilia agrees with a nod. "This does prove to be a problem since Kusanagi-san has both Veemon and Wormmon as his partners while the rest of us each only have one. What can we do to make this training fair?" Everyone thought for a moment until Kitito walks over to them.

"Hey, maybe we can help you guys on that." Kirito suggested with a smile. "Me, my friends and Neptune's group could train with you guys and your Digimon to come up with some strategies if we encounter stronger Digimon like BlackGrowlmon from yesterday. Besides, it's high time the rest of us helped you guys in fighting other Digimon." His wife, sister and friends all nodded in agreement.

"I concur with Kirito's plan." Vert said, smiling as well. "This could be the best way for us to know more about Digimon and figure the best plan of attack while also figuring out their weaknesses. It's also the best way to see how different Digimon are than the monsters myself and my fellow CPUs have fought." Her fellow CPUs all nodded in agreement.

"I'm not sure that it's a good idea." Renamon said with a frown. "You all saw just how strong other Digimon like BlackGrowlmon and Cyclonemon were before, but they were only Champion levels. There's no telling if any other Digimon will be even stronger in their Ultimate or Mega levels. Even the Rookie Digimon could be dangerous if you're not careful."

"We know, but we still want to help you guys." Asuna said with determination. "When BlackGrowlmon almost killed Leafa yesterday and Kusanagi-san, Veemon and Wormmon saved her, it made us realized how helpless we were standing there on the sidelines while everyone else was fighting. Even from our fight against Crabmon and Shellmon was proof enough that we were no match for the Digimon. So we're willing to help you in any way we can."

"So what do you guys think about this?" Ichika asked his friends. "Should we let them help us in this training? They seem serious about helping us fight hackers and Digimon, but I also want to hear all of your say in this. Should we let Kirito and his friends help us in fighting hackers and Digimon while also finding out the truth behind Kamishino Enterprises?" His friends all looked at each other and thought for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, I'd say we let them help us." Houki answered with a smile. "They were taken from their home and have no means of going back until we help them find a way. And since Leafa was nearly killed by BlackGrowlmon yesterday, I'm sure they're more than ready to help us fight against hackers and evil Digimon we'll be encountering sooner or later." Her friends and their Digimon partners all nodded in agreement.

"Then it's decided, you and your friends can help us train, Kirito." Ichika smiled in approval. "We could definitely use your help in situations that might call for your skills. And who knows, maybe being stuck in a game for two years might have some benefits when it calls for it."

"Yeah, maybe you could be right." Kirito agrees with a smile. "There have been some upsides to being trapped in SAO, so this could be the perfect time to put our skills to use. And don't hold back on us just because we're helping you guys train."

"Good, because we're not planning to either." Ichika said while grinning. "We want to be sure we're all ready for anything until our next case starts up. So let's all give everything we've got." Everyone nodded in agreement as they picked who's facing whom in their training exercise while Yui, Twoearle and Yukinari's group watched.

* * *

After picking out their training partners, it was time to start their training. Ichika and Agumon were up against Kirito and Purple Heart, Houki and Elecmon were up against Asuna and Black Heart, Ling and Gatomon was up against White Heart and Liz, Cecilia and Renamon was up against Green Heart and Silica, Laura and Candlemon were up against Purple Sister and Sinon, Tatenashi and Monodramon were up against Black Sister and Phillia, Kanzashi and Palmon were up against the White Sisters (Rom and Ram), Satoru and Dorumon were up against Agil and Klein and lastly, Kusanagi, Veemon and Wormmon were up against Leafa. All the Digimon digivolved into their Champion forms save for Gatomon and began their training.

"Mega Flame!" GeoGreymon yelled as he launched his attack at Kirito and Purple Heart, they leaped out of the way.

"Starburst Stream!" Kirito yelled as he got out his twin swords and clashed with GeoGreymon, he was hit by two of the hits, but GeoGreymon blocked the remaining attacks and swipe his claws at Kirito who was hit by it for little damage.

"You're good, Kirito!" GeoGreymon smiled. "But me and Boss are just getting warmed up! Mega Shot!" GeoGreymon fired a blast of fire at Kirito but Purple Heart got in the way and swatted it away.

"Not bad. Even though I'm not the main character in this fanfic and you're the main character in it, Ichika, I won't hold back!" Purple Heart smirked as she readied her katana. Ichika, GeoGreymon and Kirito looked at the CPU of Planetune in confusion.

"What?" All three of them asked in unison and confusion. Purple Heart blushed in embarrassment and looked away shyly.

"Err… Never mind what I said. Critical Edge!" Purple Heart yelled as she flew towards GeoGreymon and clashed with him three times.

"Mega Roar!" GeoGreymon roared as his shockwave attack hit Purple Heart for medium damage.

"Not bad, GeoGreymon!" Purple Heart smiled. "Let's keep this up!"

"Got it!" Ichika and Kirito nodded as GeoGreymon, Purple Heart and Kirito continued their training.

With Houki, Leomon, Asuna and Black Heart. Houki was by her partner's side on the left side of the training field with Black Heart and Asuna on the right side of the training field. "Okay, Leomon." Houki smiled at her partner. "Time to start our training. Noire and Asuna may be experts in sword fighting, but we need to give it our all."

"Right." Leomon nodded as he got his sword ready.

"Hmph!" Black Heart huffed. "You better not disappoint me, Shinonono." Asuna looked at Black Heart with a look of surprise.

"Noire! That wasn't' very nice!" Asuna scolded her.

"Well I was just saying what's in my mind." Black Heart frowned as she got ready.

"Still, that's not a nice way to say to your friends…?" Asuna was scolding her again until she asked Black Heart this. "Do you have any friends in your world, Noire?" That caught Black Heart off guard as she blushed in embarrassment.

"O-Of course I do! I have millions of friends in my world!" Black Heart stuttered. Unfortunately for her, Houki, Leomon and Asuna caught wind of her lie.

"Liar…" Houki showed a dull expression.

"Sounds to me you sound like a tsundere, Noire." Leomon sighed as he rubbed his forehead in annoyance.

"Now I am starting to figure out why Neptune calls you Lonely Heart…" Asuna showed the dull black eyes expression. Black Heart's expression then showed the blank white eyes shocked expression.

"S-Shut up! I am not lonely! Ah screw it! Let's start our training! Lace Riibbons!" Black Heart flew towards Leomon who was caught off guard by this and was hit by her sword attacks five times.

"Leomon! Don't give up!" Houki encouraged. Leomon nodded as he got ready.

"Juga-maru!" Leomon yelled as he launched a powerful version of the Fist of the Beast King at Black Heart, she was hit by medium damage.

"Flashing Penetrator!" Asuna yelled as she dashed towards Leomon and clashed with him using her rapier.

"Hasaigeri!" Leomon yelled as he kicked Asuna in the chest which knocked her back a little.

"Not bad. B-But it's not like I'm praising you or anything…" Black Heart looked away shyly before regaining her composure. "Drop Crush!" Black Heart leaped up and drop down, slashing Leomon two times in medium damage.

"Beast Sword!" Leomon yelled as he slashed Black Heart two times.

"Linear!" Asuna charged towards Leomon and tried to hit him, but he quickly noticed and blocked her attack. She backfliped out of the way. Asuna smiled. "You're really good, Leomon."

"Thanks, you too, Asuna and Noire." Leomon smiled back.

"You two are no slouches in battle yourselves." Houki smiled as she placed her hand on her hip.

"But we're just getting warmed up!" Black Heart yelled as she, Asuna and Leomon clashed again.

With Ling, Gatomon, White Heart and Liz, Ling and Gatomon were on the left side while White Heart and Liz were in the other side. "Okay, Gatomon." Ling smiled as she kneed down to Gatomon's level. "It's been weeks since we became partners and after our skirmish with that hacker and his Drigermon during their attempted bank hacking. Blanc and Liz may be experts in fighting monsters in their worlds, but they're about to know the extent of our teamwork! So it's time for training!"

"Ready when you are, Ling!" Gatomon smiled as she got ready.

"So, are you ready?" White Heart smiled softly as she lifted her axe above her shoulder.

"You and Gatomon may be skilled in handling Digimon, Ling. But you're about to experience first-hand the strength of master macer Liz!" Liz smirked as she lifted her mace over her shoulder.

"Ready when you are!" Ling grinned as Gatomon, White Heart and Liz charged towards each other.

"Cat Laser!" Gatomon flicked her tail which made a laser appear and hit White Heart for medium damage.

"Not bad!" White Heart grunted as she yelled out "Tanzerin Trombe!" She charged towards Gatomon and hit her with ax 7 times.

"Neko Kick!" Gatomon yelled as she leaped up and kicked White Heart in the chest, knocking her back a little.

"Hum… Not bad." Liz muttered as she got ready. "Now it's my turn!" Liz slams her mace down on Gatomon, knocking her back a little.

"You're pretty good, but me and Ling are better!" Gatomon smirked as she got ready. "Cat Tail!" Gatomon lashed her tail at Liz, forcing her to backflip out of the way. But this was Gatomon's plan all along as she dashed towards Liz as soon as the master macer landed on her feet and gave Liz a punch in the chest.

"Oof! I can't believe I fell for that tactic!" Liz gawked. "Are my skills in SAO getting rusty all of a sudden?"

"Keep your head in the game, master macer!" White Heart yelled as she got ready to do another of her attacks. "Getter Ravine!" White Heart lifted her axe up and slams it down on Gatomon, but the cat Digimon used her cat like agility to evade it and gave White Heart a uppercut. "Argh! Damnit! I can't believe I fell for that one!" White Heart then smirked. "But you're no slouch yourself, Gatomon."

"Thanks. But we're just getting started!" Gatomon smirked as well with Ling cheering her on as Gatomon, White Heart and Liz continued their training.

With Cecilia, Kyubiimon, Green Heart and Silica, the four were getting ready for their training. "Okay, Kyubiimon." Cecilia smiled as Kyubiimon stood by her master. "Ready for this?"

"I'm ready, Master Cecilia." Kyubiimon nodded as she got ready.

"Good." Cecilia nodded in approval as she stands by to issue orders. "Vert may be a goddess, but we're giving it our all." She then eyed Green Heart's CPU form with a bit of envy. "Still… I don't get how she is not embarrassed wearing that outfit in her CPU form and how she got fine developed breasts…" Cecilia then grabbed her breasts and pretended to make them bigger in disappointment.

"Master Cecilia, we need to focus." Kyubiimon reminded her.

"R-Right." Cecilia snapped back to reality and got ready to issue orders again.

With Green Heart and Silica. Green Heart nodded to Silica. "Alright, Silica. We need to do everything we got to help Cecilia and Kyubiimon in their training… Is there something wrong?" She noticed Silica staring at her form with a bit of envy.

"H-Huh?" Silica snapped back to reality and blinked. "I'm sorry, what was that again?"

"I noticed you were staring at my form like that." Green Heart smiled as her breasts bounced. "Don't worry, when you get older, you'll have breasts as beautiful as me. But right now, we need to focus." Silica nodded as she and Green Heart clashed with Kyubiimon.

Now we turned to Laura, Wizardmon, Sinon and Purple Sister. Wizardmon was dodging every shot the two girls can throw at him with Laura issuing orders. "That's it, Wizardmon! Use Thunder Cloud! And give them a sneak attack!" Laura commanded. Wizardmon nodded as he launched his attack at Purple Sister and Sinon, giving them medium damage.

"Tch, they are good when working together." Sinon grunted.

"I know. I wonder if we'll reach their level and help them out with the tougher Digimon." Purple Sister questioned herself as she and Sinon continued to train with Laura and Wizardmon.

We see Tatenashi and Strikedramon sparring with Black Sister and Phillia. The two have a little trouble at first, but thanks to Tatenashi encouragement, they sparred with her partner Digimon well enough.

"Needle Spray!" Togemon launched her attack at the White Sisters, they were hit by it for small damage.

"Not bad! But me and Rom are tough when we work together! Ready Rom?!" White Sister (Ram) grinned.

"Ready!" White Sister (Rom) agreed as they launched their attacks at Togemon who evaded them. The White Sisters were training well with Kanzashi and Togemon.

Satoru, Dorugamon, Agil and Klein were also doing well in their training.

Now we turned to Kunasagi, ExVeemon and Stingmon as they faced Leafa. Leafa smiled as she readies her sword. "Ready Kunasagi? Just because you saved me yesterday doesn't mean I will hold back!"

"I'll do my best!" Kunasagi nodded. "I'm still learning how to command ExVeemon and Stingmon, so don't expect me to go easy on you just because you're a girl!"

"Same to you!" Leafa smiled as she, ExVeemon and Stingmon clashed in their training.

As our heroes were training with each other, the rest of their friends were watching them train from the sidelines and cheering them on throughout the training session. Twoearle was acting as the supervisor for the session as she opens up a menu and activates a recorder to start recording the session to review on any errors in their exercise.

"Hey, whatcha doing over there, Twoearle?" Kirie asked as she looked at what Twoearle is doing. "Are you recording their training session on that?"

"Yeah, I want to make sure I capture every moment of their training." Twoearle answered her with a nod as she began recording. "I need to see if there are any errors in their fighting styles and let them know to redo it or try a different strategy. So far, I'm not seeing anything wrong in the training and everything's doing great, but I'll keep recording in case there are any errors we didn't catch." She moves her finger around the screen to reposition the angles on each of the fights happening, though she was more focused on Satoru as she angles the camera around him.

"Wow, Kirito sure wasn't kidding when he told Ichika and his friends to not hold back on them." Yukinari gasped in awe. "Everyone's really giving it their all in this, even though it's only training. I can tell they're really giving it everything they've got."

"But doesn't anyone think this looks dangerous?" Koyomi asked worriedly. "It looks more like they're really fighting each other rather than training. Should we try to stop them before they really hurt each other?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Koyomi." Lisa answered her while shaking her head no. "From what Kirito told Ichika, he made it clear that they shouldn't hold back on him and his friends because they wanted to help. Since they couldn't fight off both Crabmon and Shellmon before and were helpless when Leafa was nearly killed by BlackGrowlmon yesterday, they wanted to do this so they can have a fighting chance against any Digimon we might encounter later on." Her friends all nodded in agreement except for Fukuyama before leaning on Yukinari's arm. "Of course, I wouldn't mind it if my dear Yukinari would do the same for me when Kusanagi saved Leafa." That made Yukinari blush while Kirie was getting jealous, but didn't want to admit it.

"Me too, I want Yukinari to save me too!" Miharu agrees with a smile. "He would be like one of those heroes I've read about in those books I found in Kirie's room." That made everyone stop in their tracks and turns to her while Kirie's face was bright red.

"Miharu! What did I say about looking through my room?" Kirie stuttered. "I know I invited you over to my house before, but I also told you not to look through my stuff! I can't believe you read one of my books!"

"Kirie, what kind of books is Miharu talking about?" Yukinari asked in confusion. "And what did she mean about me being like those heroes in your books? Is she referring to fairy tales?"

"Yep, those are the kinds of books Kirie reads." Miharu answered her with a happy nod. "There are all kinds of books where the heroes save the princess from an evil witch, a dragon or an evil wizard and having a happily ever after in the end. It was all so romantic." Dorugamon, ExVeemon and Wizardmon couldn't help but feel offended for being called evil.

"Oh my, I didn't expect you to be into fairy tales, Kirie." Vert smirked deviously. "I always thought a tomboy like you would be more interested in things such as boys are, but I suppose some of them do keep their feminine side. Though I didn't expect that side of you to prefer fairy tales about heroes, princesses and such."

"And that's not all, she also has a collection of dolls in her room as well." Miharu said, still smiling. "She has plenty of dolls she always collects whenever we go out shop-" Kirie tries to stop her by covering her mouth, but it was already too late as everyone now knows about her collecting dolls and reading fairytales.

But before anyone could say a word, Kyubimon's ears perked up and turns to warn GeoGreymon. "GeoGreymon, on your left! There's someone coming your way!" GeoGreymon heard her and turned his left to block an oncoming kick with his tail from a familiar face from Ichika's vision, not that anyone else knew.

"You're the one from my vision!" Ichika gasped in shock as GeoGreymon stood by his partner.

"Alright, pal. Tell us where the hell we are before we break your faces!" Ranma growled as Akane, Ryoga, Mousse, Kuno, Naibki, Shampoo, Kodachi, Kasumi and Ukyo appeared and some of them got ready to fight.

"N-Now wait just a moment! Just listen to us!" Char pleaded.

"Shut up! It's a shame you're about to be beaten to a pulp by experienced fighters like us. I don't get the stupid looking animals with you." Kodachi smirked, Ichika and his friends' Digimon partners reverted back to their Rookie forms.

"Stupid looking creatures, huh? Well these stupid looking creatures are about to beat the data out of you and make you nutjobs listen!" Agumon growled as the gang got ready.

"Here I go!" Ranma charged towards Ling, but Gatomon got in the way and made Ranma freeze in his tracks. He screamed out "C-Cat!" He hid behind a digiblock in fear.

Akane growled as an anger vein appeared on her forehead. "Oh Ranma you stupid idiotic fraidy-cat! I'll just have to solve this as usual!" Akane got out her hammer and charged towards Houki and Elecmon, but Black Heart got in the way and blocked her hammer with her sword. "W-What in the world?!"

"Can't you see we need to talk?!" Black Heart snarled in fury.

"D-Don't try to trick me! You're just probably playing innocent so you can kill me!" Akane snarled a bit in fear.

"Hmph!" Black Heart smirked as she turned her back. "Your IQ is really low. You're not even worth my time." That made Akane really mad. Shampoo and Ukyo knew Akane's anger and how she is unstoppable when angered, but as Akane was about to attack Black Heart, the CPU of Lastation grabbed her hammer with ease, shocking her, Ukyo and Shampoo. "See? It's just as I told you. I guess stupidity runs in the family." Akane then felt a creeping fear that's growing inside of her. As her anger vanished and she is experiencing fear, when angered in her world, she was unstoppable, but now she may have lost her unstoppable strength.

"Take this!" Ryoga threw his bandanas at Ichika and Agumon who evaded or swatted them away.

Agumon stared at Ryoga. "…Are you right in the head? Who uses bandanas as weapons? Pepper Breath!" Agumon spit out his attack on Ryoga, catching his pants on fire.

"Augh! Fire! Fire!" Ryoga stops, drops and roll and put out the fire.

"If I defeat the ones who brought us to this strange place, Shampoo will love me and dump Ranma!" Mousse got out his Spoon weapons and charged towards White Heart. White Heart was silent as she stepped aside and sticks her foot out and made Mousse tripped, causing him to crash into the ground.

"W-What the? How can weak nobodies like you lot best us?!" Kodachi gawked before she got out her ribbon and charged towards Renamon. "Time to fight, you fox freak!" Renamon was silent as she waited for Kodachi to make a move, she vanished before her eyes, shocking Kodachi, Renamon then reappeared behind her and karate chopped her, knocking her out cold.

"M-My sister and my lovely Akane!" Kuno gawked before growling at Kirito. "Alright pal, I'll have you know that I am an expert swordsman than you and the ladies love me!"

"Prove it then. I know that's a lie." Kirito frowned as he readies his sword.

"W-Well…" Kuno tried to think up an excuse, but couldn't find one, so he charged towards Kirito who easily knocked him out with his sword skills.

Ukyo and Shampoo knew these strange people are strong and they even command strange creatures. So they lowered their guard and surrendered, surprising Naibiki.

"What are you two idiots doing?! Can't you see we're outnumbered?!" Naibiki growled in fury. Kasumi stopped her greedy sister.

"Hold on. I don't think they're the ones who brought us here. So let's at least hear them out." Kasumi assured her. Naibiki sighed and grumbled to herself.

"Finally, someone who can actually think around here!" Black Sister sighed in relief. "We've been trying to tell you nutcases that we're not the ones responsible for bringing you here. You guys were all caught in an earthquake and sent here in Ichika's vision last night." Her friends and fellow CPUs all nodded in agreement as Ranma comes out of his hiding spot, Kodachi and her brother regains consciousness and Mousse stands back up and dusted himself off.

"Hold on, did you say that he saw us in a vision?" Ryoga asked in confusion. "How's that even possible to begin with? There's no way you could've seen us in your vision."

"I know it sounds stupid, but we're telling you the truth." Ichika said with a serious frown. "I did see all of you in my vision last night and had to tell my friends about your arrival. Although, I was also warned that all of you might think we were the ones responsible for bringing you here and attack us, but I suppose that couldn't be avoided."

"True, but that was still no reason for our behavior towards you and your friends." Kasumi agrees with a smile. "I'm very sorry for how my sisters and friends attacked all of you out of the blue like that. When we saw all of you in the distance, everyone thought you were the ones who brought us here and started charging right towards you. I hope you can forgive them for their rude behavior."

"It's all right, no one was hurt too seriously." Satoru smiled in gratitude. "It was mostly thanks to Renamon who heard you guys heading towards us that we were able to react in time." He then turns to Ranma. "Though from what Ichika told us before in his vision, your friend there transformed into a girl when he was splashed by cold water. How the hell those that work?"

"It's a long and really complicated story, but I can give you the short version." Ranma answered him with a sigh. "It's really a curse I have that whenever I'm splashed with cold water, I turned into a girl and can only turn back if I'm splashed with hot water. So be ready if I get splashed by cold water and turn into a girl at one point." Everyone nodded as he glances over to Gatomon and hides behind the digiblock again. "But keep that cat away from me! I don't want that little furry demon anywhere near me!"

"So you're afraid of cats, huh?" Ling asked with an evil grin. "I think I know how we can keep him in line if he starts doing something stupid. You with me, Gatomon?"

"Oh yeah, I'm more than ready for this." Gatomon answered, smirking deviously. "I'm ready to scare the pants off of him if he tries anything stupid. I'll give him a scare he'll never forget." Both started laughing evilly as they started thinking about scaring Ranma if he steps out of line while everyone else watched them.

"Uh-oh, looks like Ling and Gatomon are about to go on a power trip." Tatenashi sweat dropped. "I guess they really want some payback from them attacking us out of nowhere. Does anyone think we should stop them before it gets out of hand?" Before anyone could answer, there was a loud buzzing sound coming from above them.

Gatomon's ears perked up. "Is that what I think it is…?"

"What is it, Gatomon? Something wrong?" Ling asked her partner in concern. Gatomon's eyes widen in shock.

"Flymon!" Gatomon gasped as 30 giant bee like Digimon appeared and flew around the gang.

"Destroy them! Destroy them for our masters!" The Flymon swarm chanted.

"What in the world?! Who are they working for?" Purple Sister gasped.

"I dunno, but we can't let them stop us in our tracks!" Ichika yelled. "Everyone, get ready!" Everyone nodded in agreement as Ichika and his friends' Digimon Digivolve into their Champion forms and got ready to fight. Ichika placed his Digivice over his eyes and scanned the Flymon. "Okay, it said here that the Flymon are known as the bee-fly Digimon. Watch out for their Brown Stingers, everyone! And also their Poison Powders!"

"Brown Stinger!" five Flymon yelled as they tried to stung Kyubiimon and Strikedramon, luckily, they evaded them.

"Dragon Wheel!"

"Strike Claw!" Kyubiimon and Strikedramon combined their attacks to delete the five Flymon. Only 25 remain.

Two Flymon tried to get Togemon and Birdramon with their Poison Powder, but Birdramon quickly flapped her wings to push the Poison Powder on the two Flymon. "Needle Spray!" Togemon hurled her attack at the two Flymon, deleting them. 23 left.

"Fly Attack!" Three Flymon yelled as they tried to ram into Dorugamon, but he flew out of the way and the three Flymon crashed into the floor.

"Now's your chance, Dorugamon!" Satoru issued.

"Power Metal!" Dorugamon launched three Power Metals at the three Flymon, deleting them. 20 left.

"Ew, I hate bees… They sting like a wasp and are even worse than eggplants and dogoos." Purple Heart frowned as 6 Flymon swarm around her. "But I have to toughen up in order to help the main character of this fanfic! And I know just the attack to do it! 32-Bit Mega Blade!" Purple Heart summoned a pixaled sword of some king that hit one of the Flymon and caused an explosion that wiped out all 6. 14 are left.

"Total Eclipse!"

"Lightning Paw!" Kirito and Gatomon combined their attacks to hit one Flymon and deleted him. Only 13 to go.

"Electro Squall!"

"Fist of the Beast King!"

"Exvee Laser!" Wizardmon, ExVeemon and Leomon also combined their attacks to delete 3 more Flymon, only 10 to go.

"Multi-Moon Shooter!"

"Slant!" Stingmon and Leafa combined their attacks as well to delete five more Flymon. Only 5 remain.

The Flymon were desperated as the remaining five charged towards GeoGreymon. "Mega Burst!" GeoGreymon launched his attack at the five remaining Flymon, the Flymon roared in agony as all five of them were deleted.

"Cyber Sleuths, that's a cyber win!" Ichika grinned as he gave his friends a thumbs up. The Digimon save for Gatomon dedigivolve back to their Rookie forms.

"Whoa…" Ranma and his friends all gasped in awe.

"Whew, that sure was a close one." Houki sighed in relief "For a minute there, I thought those Flymon had us pinned down when they came after us, no pun intended." Everyone chuckled at her pun as the CPUs returned to their civilian forms. "Well, that's another win for us and another lost to the evil Digimon."

"Still, that was just strange how they attacked us out of nowhere like that." Cecilia wondered as she scratched her chin in thought. "Those Flymon acted like they were ordered by their masters to destroy us. Who could these masters they've mentioned?"

"Your guess is as good as ours, Cecilia." Satoru answered her with a serious frown. "But at least we now know one thing from this. There's someone out there who's sending Digimon after us and we have no idea who they are. We'll have to be on guard until we can find any clues about these masters the Flymon mentioned." Everyone nodded in agreement before turning to face the Nerima Wrecking crew. "And speaking of which, we should take them back to the office. I can tell we're gonna do a lot of explaining."

"Okay, what the hell was that all about before?" Nabiki asked in confusion. "What were those giant bugs coming at us and how were you guys able to deal with them? Are you guys some kind of superhumans or something?"

"We could tell you guys, but not here." Ichika answered her. "There could be a chance that more Digimon like the swarm of Flymon might be around and could be coming at us right now. Let's head back to the office, there's one more person you should meet and we'll explain everything there." Ranma and his friends all nodded as they followed the Cyber Sleuths back to the office in the real world.

* * *

Not too far from their location, the same runaways from before were hiding behind some digiblocks as a Digimon resembling a triceratops was looking for them. After searching for a few minutes, the triceratops Digimon turned around and walked away in the other direction as the runaways watched him leave.

"Okay, I think we should be safe now." The woman said with a serious frown. "I was worried he might've found us when he was looking around, but I'm glad he didn't." She peeks out from their hiding spot to see if anything else might be looking for them, but glad there wasn't. "Still, I can't believe now that someone else is after us. It's already bad enough with Phantom Task looking for us, but now we have another party trying to find us. I can already tell it's going to be difficult getting back to the lab."

"Erika, why is it that everyone's always coming after me?" The boy asked in confusion. "Is it because you turned me into a weapon to counter the IS? Back when you were still working for Phantom Task?"

"I'm afraid so, Gen. That's the very reason why they're after us." Erika answered him with a sad frown. "But believe me, I'm going to find a way to turn you back to normal if it's the last thing I do. Just hang on for a little longer, we're nearly home." Gen and Bearmon nodded as the trio got out of their hiding spot and started running into the distance.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next chapter: The Straw Hat Pirates and Gen! I'll Get You, Whamon!**

 **A/N: Another chapter done. And just in time for the end of February. Next up, our heroes meet the Straw Hat Pirates of One Piece and they help CaptainHookmon settle the score with Whamon while Gen and Bearmon joined forces with the Cyber Sleuths and Bearmon digivolves for the first time and when Gen and Laura meet, it's love at first sight. So stay tuned for more updates.**


	15. I'll Get You, Whamon!

**A/n: We already reached the second chapter of the second anime filler segment and only one to go to conclude this segment. After the two remaining second anime filler segment chapters are done, we'll move on to Main Case Number 2 which has Ichika and the gang helping a game developer that is having some problems with a game he's developing. So here is Chapter 15.**

 **Chapter 15: The Straw Hat Pirates and Gen! I'll Get You, Whamon!**

* * *

Despite not completing their training and fighting the Nerima Wrecking crew to get them to listen, Ichika and the gang were able to fend off a swarm of Flymon and are now heading back to the agency with their friends in tow. Back in the real world, Satoru and Twoearle logged out from their EDEN accounts and waited for their friends to return and Kyoko from her meeting.

"Whew, that was one hell of an experience." Satoru sighed in exhaustion. "Not only had we had to fight the people Ichika saw in his vision, but also that huge swarm of Flymon. I'm glad we were able to delete all of them before it got out of control and I don't think a can of bug spray would be enough to stop them."

"And not to mentioned knowing now that someone is out to get us." Twoearle agrees with a serious frown. "From what the Flymon said and how they were ordered to attack us, it definitely seems like there's someone out there trying to have us eliminated. But if the Fymon were ordered to find us by these masters of theirs, then we could be in for something bigger than we thought. Do you think we should tell Kyoko about this?" Before Satoru could answer, the door opens as Kyoko enters the office and heard them talking.

"Tell me about what exactly?" Kyoko asked in concern. "Is there something you two want to tell me about?" Both friends turned around to see Kyoko standing behind them.

"Kyoko-nee, when did you get back?" Satoru gasped. "I thought you were still meeting with Matayoshi for another hour."

"It ended early, so I've decided to head back to Nakano." Kyoko told him. "He said the lunch was his treat and paid for it before we left the restaurant." She then looks around for Ichika and his friends. "By the way, where are Ichika and the others? I thought they'd be with you two by the time I got back." Before they could answer, a light from the TV screen started glowing brightly, indicating that Ichika and the gang are returning to the real world. Almost immediately after, Ichika and the gang materialized in the center of the office with the Nerima Wrecking crew.

"Geez, what the hell was that all about?" Ryoga asked in confusion. "It felt like I was being broken down into pieces and then being put back together again. How the hell are you guys used to that?"

"That's because we've been using it for two weeks now." Ichika answered him with a nervous smile. "It took us some time to get used to it, but it got easy after that. So it might take some time, but you'll get the hang of it in no time." His friends all nodded in agreement before noticing Kyoko. "Oh Kyoko, we didn't see you there. When did you get back?"

"Just now. My meeting with Matayoshi ended early." Kyoko answered him. "We were mostly going over some of the EDEN Syndrome cases from the past months, but nothing really came to mind about the connection with the victims and Kamishino Enterprises other than EDEN itself. We're going to have to find more clues to see if we can link the victims of the EDEN Syndrome with Kamoshino." Everyone nodded in agreement as she noticed the Nerima Wrecking crew. "And speaking of which, I see you've brought in more people with you. Mind telling me who they are?"

"Come to think of it, we haven't even asked for their names yet." Houki agreed. "We were too busy fighting off the swarm of Flymon that we completely forgot about that." Her friends all nodded in agreement as they turned to face the Nerima Wrecking crew. "And since we're safe from danger, now is the time for you to introduce yourselves and we'll do the same."

"Fair enough, we can introduce ourselves to you guys." Ranma agrees with a smile. "And since we do owe you guys for attacking out of nowhere before, it's as good a time as any." His friends all nodded in agreement as he clears his throat. "My name is Ranma Saotome of the Saotome Anything Goes Martial Arts School, sorry for attacking you guys before."

"I'm Akane Tendo, and I'm also sorry for accusing you." Akane said with a smile. "These two are my older sisters, Nabiki and Kasumi." Kasumi bowed while Nabiki waved.

"You may call me the blue thunder, Tatewaki Kuno." Tatewaki smirked. "I must also apologize for my rude behavior before, so I must ask for your forgiveness." He then glances at all the girls with Ichika, Satoru, Kirito, Yukinari, Fukuyama, Hayate, Klein and Agil. "But if I can make a suggestion, mind if I can ask all the lovely ladies out for dinner?" That made everyone jump in surprise.

"WHAT?!" The girls all gasped in surprise.

"Not in your life!" Ichika, Satoru and Kirito yelled in fury as they punched him into the wall.

"Sorry about that, my brother's a real idiot." Kodachi said with a sour tone. "Anyway, I'm Kodachi Kuno. I also apologize for our rude behavior and my brother's idiocy to you. Just ignore him and act like he's not there."

"We'll keep that in mind." Asuna said with a frown.

"Moving right along, I'm up next." Ryoga said with a smile. "My name is Ryoga Hibiki, a friend to Ranma. Much like everyone, I'm also sorry for attacking you guys for thinking you were responsible for bringing us here. Also, I tend to get lost every few seconds."

"Nice to meet all of you, I'm Ukyo Kuonji and I'm a childhood friend to Ranma." Ukyo said with a smile. "And like everyone else, I'm also sorry for how we acted towards you. It wasn't right for us to accuse you for something you didn't do."

"Looks like Shampoo's up next now." Shampoo said with a smile. "I Shampoo, nice to meet all of you. Shampoo suppose she can admit we at fault for attacking you guys, so Shampoo also sorry."

"And last but not least is me, I'm Mousse." Mousse said with a smile. "I'm a childhood friend to Shampoo and I'm also sorry for attacking you. It wasn't our place to accuse you for something out of your control, we just jumped to conclusion for all the wrong reasons. I hope you can forgive us for our rudeness before."

"It's all right, no one was seriously hurt." Ichika said with a smile. "We're just glad someone managed to stop the fight before it got out of control." His friends nodded in agreement as Kasumi bowed at them. "And since you've already introduced yourselves, now it's our turn." His friends nodded in agreement as he clears his throat. "My name is Ichika Orimura, nice to meet all of you." He then turns his his friends. "And here are my friends, Houki Shinonono, Cecilia Alcott, Laura Bodewig, Huang Lingrin, Charlotte Dunios, Tatenashi and Kanzashi Sarashiki, Twoearle, Satoru and Kyoko Kuremi." His friends all waved at Ranma's group while Kyoko just crossed her arms and nodded.

"Wassup, how's it going, my peeps?" Neptune greeted as she waved casually. "The name's Neptune, CPU of Planertune!" She then turns to her sister and fellow CPUs. "And here's my sister Nepgear or as I like to call her, Nep Jr, Noire aka Lonely Heart of Lastation and her sister Uni, Blanc of Lowee and her sisters Rom and Ram and last but not least, Vert of Leanbox and the only one without a sister!"

"You didn't have to rub it in, Neptune…" Vert muttered as she crossed her arms and pouted.

"Shut up, Neptune! I'm not lonely!" Noire shouted frantically as she showed the blank white eyes shocked expression. Unfortunately for Noire, her fellow CPUs and her new friends don't believe her.

"CPU? What the hell is a CPU?" Nabiki asked in confusion. "Is that something you'd use in a computer?"

"Not exactly, but close enough." Cecilia answered her. "To put it bluntly, they're goddesses from four different nations which each of them lead."

"Wait, are you saying they're goddesses?!" Kodachi asked in shock, "But they look like normal girls to me! How can they be goddesses?"

"Like Nepgear said, looks can be deceiving." Uni answered her with a smirk. "Besides, you already saw us in our goddess forms before when we were fighting off those Flymon." The Nermia Wrecking crew thought back for a moment before realizing she was right.

"Yeah, that's what she was talking about before." Kirito agrees while smiling. "But we can save that explanation for another time. Anyway, my name is Kirito, nice to meet you guys." He then turns to his wife, sister and friends. "Here is my girlfriend Asuna, my sister Leafa, Yui, Liz, Silica, Sinon, Philla, Klein, Kusanagi and Agil." His wife, daughter, sister and friends all waved or nodded at the Nerima Wrecking crew.

"Hello, my name is Yukinari Sasaki." Yukinari greeted with a smile. "It's nice to meet all of you, I'm glad no one was hurt when the Flymon attacked." He then turned to his friends. "Here are my friends Miharu, Kirie, Lisa, Koyomi, Tomoka, Fukuyama, Hayate and Kosame." His friends all waved or smiled at Ranma's group while Fukuyama didn't care.

"So what happened to you guys before arriving in Kowloon?" Liz asked them as she looked at the Nerima Wrecking Crew. "From what Ichika told us before when he saw you guys in his vision, Ranma was being chased by every single one of you. Any reason why the rest of you were chasing him?"

"Well, it all started when I invited Ranma over to my house for lunch." Akane answered her with an angry frown as she glared at Ranma. "I wanted to cook something special for him for a change. But when I served him the food I made for him, he just got up from his chair and ran out the door while saying my cooking suck!"

"That's because your cooking does suck!" Ranma snapped. "Seriously, have you ever even tasted it? The food looks more like a sick prank you'd play on someone! And while I was running through town, everyone else joined in the chase before that earthquake happened and Akane blamed me for that. Though I don't need to explain what happened after that." Everyone nodded in agreement as they remembered what he was talking about.

"I see, that would explain why Satoru and Twoearle were debating about telling me when I returned from my meeting." Kyoko said in understanding. "But since you're all here, I suppose we can put that debate to rest." Everyone nodded in agreement. "But now for the real question, where are they going to stay? A hotel is too much expensive and I'm not sure the money we make from the cases will be enough to cover it."

"Hey, I can have them stay at my house." Ichika suggested with a smile. "Ranma and his friends can stay while we're at school until I can give them the okay. But I'm gonna need more sleeping bags for them, so I can buy some while we're giving them the tour around Nakano." Everyone nodded in agreement before he turns to Ranma's group. "But since you're all staying in my home, I want all of you to be on your best behavior. If you break anything in my home, I'll have no choice but to punish you!" Ranma and his friends nodded as Tatewaki recovers.

"Now hold on just a send there, you!" Tatewaki growled in fury. "Why would I, Tatewaki Kuno, have to listen to you? And why should I have to stay at your house? I demand that I should stay in someplace other than your house!" That made Ling mad and she punches him in the chest.

"Hey, you better listen to what we have to say, buster!" Ling yelled in anger. "You're staying under Ichika's roof, so he makes the rules! You and your friends had better listen to him or I'll give you something even worse than a punch!" She then feels Ichika's hands on her shoulders.

"Calm down, Ling. I appreciate you helping me, but try not to go overboard." Ichika calmed her down. "I'm sure I can handle him if he steps out of line." Ling blushed before nodding in agreement. "Now with that settled, let's give them a tour around Nakano. We can show them everything it has to offer before heading home." Everyone nodded in agreement before exiting the office and starting on the tour.

* * *

Not long after exiting the office, our heroes were taking their new friends on a tour around Nakano and for them to get acquainted with the people. During the tour, Ichika stopped at a camping store to buy some sleeping bags for his guests to sleep in while staying at his house. After the tour was over, they stopped at the food court to eat before heading back to the agency.

"Okay, I can admit it, this place isn't that bad." Nabiki said with a smile. "It's definitely a lot different from the shopping district back home and feels more relaxed. The people here sure are nice and I'm surprised how low the prices are at these stores. It does have a certain charm to it than the stores back home."

"That's exact what makes Nakano special to a lot of people here, its simplicity is what people like about it." Satoru said with a grin. "It's not too big, not too small, but just right. Many other people tend to not see it at first or just ignore it altogether, but you'll know once you see it for yourself."

"I can see that, Nakano sure is something special to everyone here." Kasumi agrees with a smile. "I wouldn't mind doing some shopping here while we're staying at Ichika-san's house. As long as you don't mind, Ichika-san."

"Not at all, you can do some shopping while we're at school." Ichika smiled in approval. "I wouldn't mind letting you step out for something like shopping, but I'm a little worried if the others are left unattended. I don't want them causing trouble if something stupid happens again."

"Don't you worry, Ichika. We can watch over them." Noire smirked. "We'll make sure they're on their best behavior and don't break anything in the house. I don't think your sister would be too happy about that." Her sister, Leafa, Yui, Pina and fellow CPUs all nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, Noire. I really appreciate it." Ichika said as he bowed in gratitude. "I know I can count on you girls to keep things in check at the house while we're at school during the day." He then turns to the rest of his friends. "And now that we're done, let's head back to agency and call it a day." Everyone nodded in agreement and headed back to the office.

* * *

Upon making to back to the office, Kyoko was sitting at her desk while looking through a book with some old photos. When she heard Ichika and the gang coming in, she quickly hid the book in one of the drawers and turns to face them.

"Welcome back, everyone." Kyoko greeted with a smile. "I see you're all back from your tour around Nakano. So I trust that everything is ready for their stay at your house, Ichika?"

"Yeah, we've got more sleeping bags for them and everything." Ichika answered her with a nod. "Luckily we've managed to buy them before the store closed for the night. Now we won't have to worry about anything for now, we can have a good night sleep." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"That you can, my assistants." Kyoko agrees with a smile. "You'll be needing plenty of rest for your next case coming soon, so be sure you're all ready for it." Everyone nodded. "And with that said, how about I make our new guests some coffee? I'm sure they'll all be needing something to calm their nerves after your scuffle with them."

"AHHHHHHHH!" Everyone screamed in terror except for Yui who was happy to drink more of Kyoko's coffee.

"Sure, we can go for some coffee." Ranma smiled. "After all that excitement, I can definitely go for something to calm my nerves." His friends all nodded in agreement.

"Same for me, I can go for coffee as well." Kusanagi agrees with a smile. "After being trapped inside SAO for so long, I kinda forgot what coffee tasted like." Kyoko nodded as she got up from her desk and started making some coffee.

"Oh no, not another one of her coffees!" Uni panicked as she showed the blank white shocked eyes expression. "I don't even want to know what she'll put in this time! We need to get them out of here before it's too late!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Akane asked in confusion. "You're all acting like the coffee's going to kill us. I'm sure it's not as bad as you think."

"You don't understand, her coffee's not normal!" Liz reasoned with a panicked state. "It's something not made by any human being! If you don't leave now, you'll regret it for the rest of your lives!"

"Please, you guys are all acting like a bunch of little kids." Kodachi scoffed. "I can guarantee that your assumption of her coffee is just your imaginations running wild. It's probably much for refine for your childish tastebuds." Before anyone could counter her, Kyoko returned with a tray of coffee.

"Here you are, some freshly brew coffee." Kyoko said with a smile. "It's something I'm working on so I hope you'll like it, hot mustard and red beans coffee. I'm still working out the recipe before I send this for shelves." Kusanagi and the Nerima Wrecking crew all looked at the coffee as it swirls in the cup and has a strange aroma.

"Well… bottoms up." Ranma gulped as he, his friends and Kusanagi all drank the coffee.

"Well, how does it taste?" Kyoko asked hopefully. "I trust it was to your liking?" Before they could answer, they all fell on the floor with a loud crash as their mouths stared foaming. "Hmm… I guess that wasn't it either. Maybe I should add in some vinegar into the coffee next time." Everyone else all looked at her and sweat dropped. Kyoko noticed she had one cup left and gave it to Yui. "Hope you enjoyed it, Yui. It's my treat." Kyoko closed her eyes and smiled.

"Thank you, Kyoko. I will always drink more of your brilliant coffee." Yui giggled as she drank the coffee.

"Looks like Yui is our secret weapon for Kyoko's coffee…" Kirito muttered as he sighed.

* * *

Not long after recovering from Kyoko's dreaded coffee, our heroes have left Nakano and were riding the bus back home to rest up. While on their way back, Ichika and his friends weren't too happy at Kusanagi and the Nerima Wrecking crew for ignoring their warnings about the coffee and paid the price for it.

"So… what was that you were saying about us being kids?" Uni asked with a sneer. "And about us having an overactive imagination? From what we can see, you guys are the real kids and, once again, Yui shows that she's more adult than you guys combined. Makes me wonder if you even have brains in those empty heads." Her sister, friends and fellow CPUs all nodded in agreement.

"Okay, we get it! We were the real idiots here!" Ryoga snapped. "We didn't listen to your warnings about her coffee and payed the price. Now can we please just drop the whole thing?!"

"Dropping the subject, maybe…" Noire answered with a huff. "But forgetting about the whole ordeal, not going to happen. We're not going to let you guys forget how you were all stupid enough to drink her coffee." Her sister, friends and fellow CPUs all nodded in agreement,

"Well, whatever. I'm just glad that we're still alive from that." Ranma mumbled. "But jeez, I can't believe she actually added something like hot mustard to coffee. After living through that, now I'm scared to even try coffee anymore." He then looks over to Ling. *Second only to cats right now."

"Yeah, sorry about that. My older cousin's been experimenting with different ingredients for coffee." Satoru said with a sigh. "She's trying to create a new blend of coffee by adding in something you wouldn't expect to find in coffee. And the cups she gave you before, those were some of the prototypes for this coffee she's working on and hopes to get it on shelves in the future."

"So what you're saying is that she's creating a new blend of coffee by adding in something like mustard into the coffee and wants to put on shelves?" Nabiki asked with fear in her voice. "And those cups she gave us were the ones she's testing and used us as guinea pigs?"

"Yes, and we were all unfortunate enough to have drank some before as well." Cecilia answered her with a sigh and rubbing her temples. "But since we're all fortunate enough to have survive the ordeal, we should consider ourselves the lucky ones. There's no telling what should happen if anyone else drinks her coffee." Her friends except for Yui all shuddered at the thought of other people tasting Kyoko's dreaded coffee as the bus stopped at its first destination.

"Well, we can continue our talk tomorrow." Satoru said with a smile. "I'm sure you guys have a lot of questions, but let's save it for when we meet up back at the agency. We'll have plenty of time to talk then." Everyone nodded in agreement as he and Twoearle exited the bus before it continues on.

* * *

After dropping off Satoru and Twoearle at their stop, the bus later drops off Ichika, Leafa, Yui, Pina, the CPUs and the Nerima Wrecking crew at their destination and headed for his house. Upon arriving at Ichika's house, Ichika unlocks the front door and entered the house and taking off their shoes before heading for the living room.

"Wow, your house sure is big, Ichika." Ranma whistled in amazement. "It's about as big as my family's dojo in terms of the size of this room. So how did you get a house thus big?"

"You can thank my sister for getting us this house." Ichika answered him with closed eyes and smile. "She was once a skilled IS pilot and one of the bests of all time, according to a lot of people and my classmates. But now she's retired and is working as a teacher at my school to train me and my classmates to use the IS."

"Wow, that's amazing that your sister was once a famous pilot." Akane gasped in awe. "I had no idea your sister was famous before her retirement and started teaching you and your friends. So where is your sister now?"

"She's on a business trip for two months and won't be back until the end of May." Ichika answered her. "And while she's abroad, I'm staying here by myself until she returns." He then takes off his Digivice from his head and holds it out while shouting "Realize!" as Agumon materializes.

"Ahh… finally room to stretch my legs." Agumon said as he stretched. "I've been in that Digivice for hours and I think I was getting a cramp on my tail. Thanks for letting me out, Boss."

"Anytime, Agumon." Ichika smiled as the two partners fist bumped while Ranma and his friends were shocked to see Agumon in the real world.

"Whoa! How did you do that, Ichika?" Mousse asked in shock "How did you bring Agumon into the real world? I thought he and the other Digimon only appeared in that Kowloon place."

"It's thanks to a friend of ours that allows Agumon and the others to come into the real world." Ichika answered him while winking to Agumon and he winked back. "She made some enhancements to our Digivices that lets Agumon and the other Digimon appear in the real world, but we have to make sure it's only just us. We don't want other people freaking out at the sight of them, who knows what could happen if everyone else saw them." Agumon nodded in agreement as everyone yawned and stretched. "We'll introduce you guys to her some time, but right now let's get some sleep. I've got an IS training lesson tomorrow and I don't want to miss it." Everyone nodded in agreement as the CPUs and the Nerima Wrecking crew pulled out their sleeping bags while Ichika and Agumon heads for his room and Leafa, Yui and Pina headed for their room. Before long, everyone was now asleep until tomorrow comes.

That night, Ichika had another vision of another world in his sleep.

* * *

Meanwhile in another world, lies a vast and wide open sea as far as the eye can see. Seagulls flying through the see air, fish swimming below the waves and dolphins were performing tricks by jumping out of the water. Not far off in the distance, a ship comes sailing over the horizon along the surface of the water with an image of a skull wearing a straw hat on its sail. On the deck of the ship, seven figures were standing and looking towards the direction their vessel is heading as the wind blows through their hair (fur for one individual). These were the Straw Hats Pirates, led by Monkey D. Luffy sailing along the Grand Line in search of a treasure once owned by the King of the Pirates himself Gol D. Roger in a land known as One Piece. Just before his execution, Gol. D Roger said that his fortune is now for the taking but they'll have to find it because he had hidden his treasure in a place known only as One Piece and only he knows the location of his booty. Not long after he was executed, pirates from all over the world set sail for the Grand Line in search of Roger's fortune and claim it for themselves and become the King of the Pirates.

As the Straw Hat crew sailed in the direction the wind's blowing, Luffy was sitting on the front end of the ship looking over the water as the sun shines brightly on him and his crew. But what they don't know is that fate has other plans for Luffy and his friends as something was following them from below the surface.

"YEAH! Now we're smooth sailing from here on out!" Luffy beamed. "The sun's shining, the sea's calm and the wind's blowing nicely. We're gonna be at the next island in no time and getting closer to One Piece, I just know it!"

"But are you sure it's a good idea to sail in this direction, Luffy?" Chopper asked timidly. "I've heard from some people that something's been patrolling this area and it's been sinking ships left and right, even the Marines aren't safe from it. We could be next if we're not careful around here."

"You know he's right, Luffy." Zoro agrees with a seriously frown. "There's been reports of some kind of sea monster attacking ships here and leaving no survivors. The person who told the story was the lucky one and he was traumatized for life. There's no telling what could be lurking here."

"Are you two sure that guy wasn't just making it up as he went alone?" Nami asked skeptically. "He was probably faking the whole thing to get some attention from everyone back in town and those wounds of his were definitely self-inflicted. There's no way something like that can exist out here." As the crew continues arguing, the silhouette from before swims closer to the ship and rams into it, causing it to lean on its left and the crew stopped arguing.

"Wha-what the hell was that?!" Usopp asked in shock. "Did we run aground or something?" Before anyone could answer, the ship was rammed into again and caused everyone to fall on the right side.

"I don't think we've run aground." Nico answered with a serious frown. "I believe something's been attacking us and trying to capsize the ship." Everyone looked over the side to see a large wave charging towards them.

"Here it comes! Brace yourselves!" Sanji yelled as everyone did as he said until something jumps over them. Out of the water, comes a massive Digimon resembling a whale as it splashes down on the opposite side of the ship and prepares for its next attack.

"Whoa, what is that?!" Luffy looked in awe. "It looks different from any other fish."

"I'm not sure about this, Master Captain. But we must stop it before it destroys our ship." Nico frowned as she used her Devil Fruit Ability which she can created hands from the ground or any other surface to try to hold the whale Digimon.

"You got that right! Take this!" Franky, the recent new member of the Straw Hats and shipwright charged towards the whale, but it flicked its tail at him after breaking free from Robin's hands, knocking him back. "Tch! Damn… This thing is tougher than it looks, whatever it is."

"That hasn't stopped us before!" Zoro yelled as he used his technique of Three Sword Combat to try to attack the whale Digimon. But it did little effect as the whale Digimon rammed into him and knocked him back a little.

"Uh… Any ideas, anyone?!" Ussop gulped as he and Chopper hid behind a barrel.

"I won't let this thing hurt me or my friends! Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy stretched his arm to amazing length and just as he was about to strike the whale Digimon, an earthquake occurred and a bright light engulfed the whale Digimon, the Straw Hats and their ship, the Thousand Sunny. As soon as the light cleared, they were gone, as if they vanished into thin air.

* * *

 **(Back in Ichika's world)**

* * *

"Ah!" Ichika gasped as he stood up from his bed and panted heavily. He looked around and was in his room. He sighed in relief. "I have another vision again…" Ichika muttered.

"What's the vision about, Boss?" Agumon asked in concern.

"Well this time, it's about pirates. I heard them saying they are looking for something called One Piece." Ichika told him. Agumon looked at him oddly.

"One Piece of what?" He asked confusedly.

"They said it is a place where it holds some sort of treasure, I'm not sure. Suddenly, this whale like Digimon appeared and attacked them. And then, the pirate leader, who was a kid with a straw hat did something amazing and weird. He stretched his arm to amazing length to attack the whale Digimon and just as the attack was about to connect, the earthquake from before in Kirito and Ranma's worlds occurred and they disappeared, including the pirates' ship."

"I think that was a Whamon. I'll explain later in the morning when we go to Kowloon." Agumon told his friend and partner.

"Right." Ichika agreed as he went back to sleep, so did Agumon.

* * *

The next morning, Ichika and Agumon woke up and headed downstairs for breakfast. Upon entering the kitchen, they saw Leafa, Yui, Pina, the CPUs and the Nerima Wrecking Crew sitting around the table and having breakfast. The group turns around and sees their host and his partner joining them at the table as Nepgear placed their plates before them and they thanked her.

"Oh, good morning, you two." Kasumi greeted with a smile. "Nice to see you boys are rested and refreshed. Did you two had a good night sleep?"

"Not really, I had another vision last night again." Ichika answered her with a serious frown. "And it was about some pirates this time." That got everyone's attention as they all stopped eating and stared at him.

"Wait, pirates? As in the plunderers of the sea?" Ranma asked in confusion. "The ones who sail the seas and attacks ships and port towns for treasure?"

"The very same, but these guys aren't like the ones we've seen in movies or read about in books." Ichika answered him as he explained. "They seem to be a lot different from those pirates because they seem to care about each other. Though one of them was kinda rude, but they're definitely not likes the ones we know. But they were also attacked by this whale like Digimon Agumon calls Whamon."

"Another one of those Digimon things from yesterday?" Ryoga asked with a mutter. "And I thought the Flymon things were bad enough, but now there's a whale one too? Just how many more of these Digimon are there?"

"A lot more than you guys think." Agumon answered him with a serious frown. "The ones like Ogremon, Snimon, Kuagamon, Unimon, Minotaurmon, DarkTyranomon, Tuskmon, Apemon, Meramon, Drimogimon, Goblinmon, Cyclonemon, Crabmon, Shellmon, BlackGrowlmon and Flymon were just a small portion of the Digimon. There's going to be a lot more Digimon we'll be encountering later on." He then turns to his partner. "Hey Boss, don't you think we should also let the others know about this as well?"

"Yeah, we should definitely let them know what's about to happen next." Ichika answered him with a nod. "If these pirates were sent here, I have a feeling we might find them in Kowloon. We'd better head for the academy and let everyone know about some new visitors coming." Agumon nodded in agreement as they finished their breakfast before getting ready and heading out for the IS Academy. But not before recalling Agumon back into his Digivice and headed out.

* * *

Later at the academy, Ichika was telling his friends what he told to Leafa, Yui, Pina, the CPUs and the Nerima Wrecking Crew about more people being attacked by a Digimon and getting sent to their world.

"So we've got more people coming to our world like before..." Houki whispered as she pondered those. "Those visions are getting more and more stranger each time you see them while you're sleeping. How is it that you're always having these visions of someone being attacked and getting sent to our world?"

"I'm not sure, they just seem to happen." Ichika answered her with a sigh. "Every time when I go to bed, I'm always seeing these visions of someone. It happened before with Kirito's group and again with Ranma's group, now it's a third time with these pirates. I don't even know why I'm getting these visions in the first place."

"Maybe Kyoko-nee might know something about this." Satoru suggested. "Since our agency's know for solving strange cases, she might have an answer for why you've been having these visions, Ichika. We should let her know about this after school." Everyone nodded in agreement as Maya enters the classroom.

"Alright, everyone, settle down." Maya said with a smile. "Now then, I have something to say to our new friends who are joining us for this program. Now as I already told most of you, all new students attending here has been learning about our school's pride and joy, the IS." The students all nodded in agreement. "But now, I think it's time we change all that. Time for our new friends to see the IS in action and I can't think of no better time to test the new control suits." Everyone nods in agreement and stood up from their seats before following her to the training grounds while the otherworlders were confused.

"Hey Ichika, what's this IS she's talking about?" Kirito asked as they walked down the path to the training grounds. "Is that the same thing you guys mentioned during when we were helping Yuuko with her case?"

"Yeah, the very same ones." Ichika nodded in response with a smile. "The ISes are the ones this school's known for and why you've been taught about the ins and outs of the armor. But instead of showing you, its best if you guys all see for yourselves." His friends all nodded in agreement as they continued down the hall.

* * *

Upon arriving at the IS Training Grounds, Ichika and the boys were in the men's changing room while Houki and the girls were in the women's changing room putting on their IS suits while Satoru, Kusanagi, Kirito, Yuknari and Klein were putting on the new control suits. After changing, everyone exited the changing rooms and meet up with Maya who was waiting for them.

"Hey, Ling, why are you and everyone wearing those suits?" Asuna asked as she inspected her IS suit. "Don't they look kinda skimpy on you and everyone?"

"Yeah, it's not really leaving much to the imagination." Liz agrees while looking at her IS suit. "So what's the deal with the suits you guys are wearing?"

"You guys are about to find out soon enough." Ling smiled as they all turned to listen to Maya.

"Alright, everyone, it's time for our IS training." Maya announced as she began. "Now as most of you already know, it won't be just you training but also our new male students with these new prototype control suits. These will allow the wearer to control the IS remotely and use them just as effectively as us. With these new suits, it'll help us benefit mankind for the better." She shows them the new control suits as she saw Kirito raising his hand. "Yes, Kazuto-kun? Do you have a question?"

"Yes, this is something I've wanting to ask for a while and this seems like the perfect time." Kirito answered her as he began. "Who's this person that created the IS? Is this person related to anyone here?"

"A very good question, Kazuto-kun." Maya said with closed eyes and a smile. "And to answer it, I'll gladly tell you. The one who created the IS was Tabane Shinonono, Houki's older sister. She's the one who made it possible for women to be on equal power to men before EDEN created by Kamishino Enterprises came along." The otherworlders all looked at Houki who turned her head away at the mentioning of her sister. "Unfortunately, Houki doesn't like having her sister be mentioned because they don't really see each other eye to eye. But we'll just leave it for now since it's time we start with the training. Cecilia, Char. Could you two please step forward and show our new friends how IS combat works?"

"Hai, Maya-sensei." Both girls nodded and stepped forward before facing each other.

"Now then, Blue Tears, activate!" Cecilia said with a smile as she touched her earrings and materialized a blue IS.

"My turn, Rafale-Revive Custom II, activate!" Char said with determination as she touches her pendent and materializes an orange IS.

"Whoa!" The otherworlders all gasped in amazement while looking at the ISes. But Sinon wasn't expressing the same excitement as her friends as her eyes widen in fear at the sight of Cecilia's ranged weapons before falling onto the floor and everyone turned to her.

"Sinon, what's wrong?!" Ichika asked in concern. "Is everything okay? What was it you're scared of?" Everyone gathered around their friend as she clutched her head in terror.

"Keep it away! Don't aim it at me!" Sinon screamed in fear. "I don't want to go back there! Keep that gun away from me!"

"Gun? That's it." Kirito gasped as he turned to Cecilia. "Cecilia, deactivate your IS! Your weapons on it are freaking her out and I think she'll calm down once they're gone!"

"Right, on it! Blue Tears, deactivate!" Cecilia nodded as she deactivates her Blue Tears.

"It's okay, Sinon. You can relax now." Kirito reassured as he comforted her. "The gun is gone now, you don't need to be scared now." Sinon starts to calm down as everyone gathered around to see if she was all right.

"Sinon, what happened to you just now?" Ichika asked with wide eyes. "Why were you scared of Cecilia's weapon? Was it because she was wielding a gun?" Sinon just nodded while still trying to calm down from seeing Cecilia's weapons.

"She's still sharking, we'll need to get her to the infirmary." Maya suggested as she turned to Ichika and Kirito. "Ichika, I want you and Kazuto-kun to take her to the infirmary to help her calm down. Find out what happened to her and see if there's any way to break her out of her phobia. And don't worry, you three will be excused for the day." Ichika and Kirito nodded as they wrapped Sinon's arms around their shoulders and carried her to the infirmary.

* * *

 **Later in the infirmary**

* * *

"Nurse Himari, how is Sin-I mean Shino?" Kirito asked in concern as Nurse Himari finished her checkup of Sinon. "Is she going to be alright?"

"Don't worry, she's going to be all right, boys." Nurse Himari answered him with a smile. "From what I can gather, she seems to have a traumatic experience with guns and can go into a nervous breakdown at the very sight of one like with Cecilia's IS. But much like with Yukinari-kun, I can't do much about a traumatic experience other than letting them overcome it themselves."

"Well, thank you for your help, Nurse Himari." Ichika said as he bowed in gratitude. "We really appreciate you checking on her. We'll see if we can help her out of her and Yukinari out of their phobias and I'm sure it won't be easy, but we can help them in any ways we can." Kirito nodded in agreement as Nurse Himari got up from her seat and stepped out to let the boys speak with their friend.

"Guys, sorry for my outburst earlier." Sinon apologized as she lowered her head despondently. "I didn't expect to see Cecilia's IS using a gun as her main weapon and I just lost it. I was excited to see the IS in person, but when Cecilia revealed her IS specializes in ranged weapons, my fear of guns got the better of me and I couldn't contain it any longer..."

"It's all right, we're all afraid of something and don't want others to know." Ichika reassured her. "But there are times where we end up revealing our fears to everybody without realizing it." Sinon knew what he was talking about as he continued on. "But how did you become afraid of guns in the first place? Did something happen to you that caused you to be terrified of them?"

"Yeah, it happened back when I was a kid…" Sinon answered him as a painful memory of her past occurred in her mind. "When I was 11, I was at the post office with my mom until a robber came in. He was about to shoot my mom until I took his gun from him and shot him with it. Soon after that, I gained a fear of guns and a slight fear of men because of the robber. I was bullied in high school because of my fear of guns and a lot of them took advantage of my fear to make me do things for them."

"I can't believe them, I hate it when people do that!" Kirito growled in anger as he clenched his fists in anger. "I can't stand people who likes to take advantage of others for their amusement and make them do their bidding! If I find them, I'll show those idiots what happens when they mess with my friends!" Ichika nodded in agreement while frowning angrily as well. "But there's something else I've been wondering, Sinon. How were you and Leafa logged into SAO in the first place? I didn't think the game allows archers as one of the options, so how was your Avatar different from the other players?"

"I don't know, I can't even remember logging into SAO." Sinon answered him as she tried to remember how she came to SAO. "We were never even players in SAO originally, but somehow we were there. I can't even remember anything before then, but it could be possible we came to SAO by different means."

"Don't worry, we'll help you remember, Sinon." Ichika reassured her *We'll see if we can find any clues for why you and Leafa were in SAO and help you overcome your fear of guns. It won't be easy, but I'm sure we'll find answers sooner than you think." Kirito nodded in agreement as she started smiling and had tears coming from her eyes.

"Thank you, Ichika and Kirito… It means a lot to me." Sinon sniffled as she hugged them and they hugged back before heading back to training.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

Back in Kowloon, Erika, Gen and Bearmon were running down a pathway and breathing heavily before turning around to see behind them. No one was following them and decided to slow down and breathe a sigh of relief at their pursuer was nowhere to be seen.

"Okay, we were able to lose them back there." Erika said with a sigh of relief as she looked ahead. "Now we're just a little closer to the lab and we'll be safe there. Just not far enough to go and we'll be safe from Phantom Task." Both Gen and Bearmon nodded in agreement and were just about to continue on until they heard a voice coming at them.

"Spiral Saw!" A voice shouted as something was coming their way before they've ducked. The one who attacked them was revealed to be a small Digimon with a yellow body, red fur, clawed webbed feet and blade like dorsal fins on its back. More joined in and surrounded the trio.

"Great, Gizamon! Just what we needed!" Bearmon groaned as he rubbed his temples with his paws. "It was bad enough those other jerks were trying to catch us, but them too?!" He jumps in front of his friends and gets into battle stance. "Guys, let me handle them! I can take them on and we'll be out of here!"

"No, Bearmon, you and Gen need to keep going on without me." Erika reasoned as Gen and Bearmon gasped in shock. "I'll distract them and keep them off your trail while you two escape. I'll meet up with you two later."

"No, Erika! I don't want to leave you!" Gen cried as tears fall down his eyes. "If you're not around, who's going to protect us if we're attacked again? I don't want to leave you to fight them alone!"

"Gen, you and Bearmon have to leave me." Erika said with a small smile. "I know this might be hard for you, but the more we're together, the more at risk you are. And don't worry, Bearmon will keep you safe until you find someone you can depend on. You have to be brave, Gen. Not just for me and Bearmon, but for you as well." Gen hesitated at first before nodding.

"Okay, we'll escape, Erika." Gen said with determination. "We'll be far away from here and find others here. But you have to promise me that we'll meet again in the real world!" Erika smiled before taking his head into her hands and kissing his forehead.

"Don't you worry, I promise we'll meet again." Erika said softly. "That kiss I gave you will be that promise and know I'll always be next to you. Now go, get moving before any more come our way!" Gen nodded before he and Bearmon ran in another direction with the Gizamon trying to follow them, but she stops them in their tracks.

"Out of our way, human!" Gizamon growled in anger. "We're not after you, we're after that other human you let escape! If you don't get out of our way, then you'll have to pay the price!"

"Don't even think about it, you abominations!" Erika frowned as she readies herself for battle. "I won't let you, Phantom Task or anyone use him for your personal gain! He'll live the life he was supposed to have and I'll make sure he does!" She flips open her lab coat and pulls out a gun. "So in you rejects want to get to my son, then you'll have to go through me!" The Gizamon took the challenge and charged right at her as she stood her ground.

* * *

 **Back in the real world**

* * *

After school has ended for the day, Ichika, Kirito and Sinon regrouped with their friends and changed backed into their uniforms and got on the bus and head for Ichika's house to pick up Leafa, Yui, Pina, the CPUs and the Nermia Wreckin Crew. After picking their friends up, the bus started heading for Nakano to meet with Kyoko at the agency while also asking Sinon if she's okay after her episode.

"Hey, Sinon, are you feeling better?" Liz asked in concern. "You really had us worried when you started freaking out like that when you saw Cecilia's IS. Were you really that scared when you saw her IS?"

"Not her IS, just the weapon she uses." Sinon answered her with a sad frown. "I didn't expect her weapon to be a gun and once I saw it, I couldn't contain it anymore and had to let it all out. I have an intense fear of guns because of an incident years ago and it hasn't gotten any better as you all saw." She then turns to Yukinari. "I guess I know how you felt when you were surrounded by girls on your first day at the academy, I probably feel like a little kid for not seeing it from your perceptive."

"Not at all, I don't think you're a kid, Sinon-san." Yukinari said with a small smile. "You probably didn't know that Cecilia's IS had a gun as its main weapon and was much calmer. To be honest, you're a lot more mature than me. I can't even get close to a girl without breaking into hives when they touch me, so I guess we both have some disadvantages to everyone here."

"Yeah, it would sure does seem the way." Sinon agrees, smiling softly. "But that won't stop us because Ichika and Kirito said they'll help us conquer our fears. I know it won't be easy for us, but I'm sure we'll overcome our fears someday." Yukinari nodded in agreement as everyone smiled at them with the bus continuing towards its destination.

* * *

Upon arriving at Nakano, our heroes headed for the agency to tell Kyoko about the vision Ichika had last night. Once they've entered the office, Kyoko was sitting at her desk waiting for them while searching through her computer. She turns from her computer screen to see Ichika and the gang walking into the office.

"Ah, welcome back, my assistants." Kyoko greeted with a smile. "So how did it go at school? Was your first IS training a success?" She then noticed a look on their faces. "Don't tell me, Ichika had another vision last night, didn't he?"

"Yeah, and it's a big one, Kyoko." Ichika answered her as he explained. "From what I saw in my vision, these people were a group of pirates that were being attacked by a giant whale Digimon. After that, the same earthquake that brought everyone else here happened to them and they just vanished."

"I see, so some more people are coming here through the same methods as the others." Kyoko said as she scratched her chin in thought. "If the case, then something must be really up about what's been going on for the past month."

"What do you mean, Miss Kyoko?" Koyomi asked in confusion. "Is there a reason why Ichika-san's been having these visions?"

"If I had to guess, it's probably because of his half-cyber body." Kyoko theorized as she explained. "Gaining that form must've gave him the power to see visions of other worlds. That could also mean seeing the people from those worlds coming to ours in the same methods."

"If that's the case, then let's head for Kowloon." Kirito suggested with a determined frown. "We have to find these people from Ichika's vision and help them before that whale Digimon sends them across cyberspace in data bits." Everyone nodded in agreement as they all surrounded Ichika as he used his Connect Jump to enter the TV.

* * *

Upon arriving in Kowloon, everyone looked around the area to see if they found the people from Ichika's vision. While looking around, they spotted a humanoid Digimon resembling a pirate captain wearing a black captain's uniform and one of his legs is a revolver. The Digimon turns to them and greets them in a friendly tone.

"Ahoy there, mateys. Fancy meeting you lot around these parts." The Digimon pirate greeted. "I see you're all not from around here, yes?"

"Yeah, that's right. We're not from around here." Kirito asked politely before glaring at the Digimon pirate. "But what about you, Mr. Pirate Captain? Have you come here to start trouble with us? And what did you do to those people Ichika saw?"

"Now, easy there, lad. I mean ye no harm." The Digimon said with a smile. "I can assure you that this old sea dog means no harm to you, your mates or those people you've mentioned." Kirito calms down a little while he clears his throat. "My name is CaptainHookmon, and I've been marooned here for some time now. I've been on the search for Whamon because he's the one who sank me ship back in the Digital World. Because of him, I've lost all my crew, including my first mate Hookmon."

"I'm sorry to hear that, CaptainHookmon..." Houki said solemnly as she lowered her head despondently. "It must've been hard for you to see your crew lost at sea."

"Aye, that it is, lass." CaptainHookmon agrees with a small frown. "It pains my heart to watch them suffer from their watery graves while I am the only one who survived. So I've made my mission to find Whamon and send him to Davey Jone's Locker, just like what he did to my crew!"

"Then let us help you settle the score with Whamon." Ichika offered with a determined frown. "With all if us working together, there's no way a big Digimon like Whamon can stand a chance." Everyone nodded in agreement as CaptainHookmon was smiling.

"Thank ye, all of ye for everything." CaptainHookmon said with a smile. "Words cannot express how grateful I am to you all. And I can also say that my crew would be the same if they were here now." Everyone nodded in agreement and started on their mission with a new companion.

"Mr. CaptainHookmon, I'm curious about something." Rom said curiously. "What's the Digital World? Is that your home? And if it is, what's it like?"

"I'm afraid I can't say much about it, little lass." CaptainHookmon answered her. "But if we ever meet again, I'll tell ye more about my world." Everyone nodded in agreement until they heard some noises from the distance. Knowing there was trouble, everyone nodded to each other and ran towards the location of the noise as their Digimon partners all digivolved into their Champion forms save for Gatomon.

* * *

Further up the path, the same people from Ichika's dream were fighting Whamon but he was proven to be too strong for them. The giant Digimon was simply toying with them as he uses his massive size to overpower the Straw Hat Pirates and could do nothing to his powerful attacks.

"Damn, we're getting nowhere fast!" Zoro growled as he stands up and glares at Whamon. "This thing's just toying with us and none of our attacks are even harming it! What can we do if none of our attacks are doing anything?"

"We can't give up, there must be something we can do!" Luffy answered him with an angry frown as he glared at Whamon. "We've come too far to stop here and let this guy get in our way! I'm not gonna let this thing stop me from finding One Piece!" Whamon lifts up his tail in an attempt to crush them, but was stop by a fireball and knocks him back.

"What the hell?! Where did that come from?" Nami asked in shock before turning around to see Ichika and the gang along with CaptainHookmon arriving on the scene.

"Hang on, we're here to help!" Ichika shouted out to them. "You guys all stand back and recover your strength, we'll hold off Whamon!" The Straw Hats Pirates were confused at first, but decided to listen to him and stood behind while Ichika and his friends' Digimon partners and human allies all charged towards Whamon

* * *

Not too far, Gen and Bearmon walking down the path after leaving Erika behind to deal with the Gizamon. They were safe from their pursuers, but Gen still couldn't shake the feeling about leaving his new mother behind. Unknown to them, they were heading for the battle against Whamon.

"I don't think it was a good idea to leave her, Bearmon…" Gen said sadly. "I can't help but feel bad for leaving her to deal with those Digimon. Are you sure we'll be able to see her again in the real world?"

"No don't about it, I'm sure we'll see her again." Bearmon answered him with a determined smile. "She's certain we'll see her in the real world, but we have to believe in her. She knows about what was going to happen, so we have to make she does come out alive. After all, she promised you that we'll see her again." Gen nods in agreement until they heard some noises further up. The duo knew what was going on and headed for the location of the noises.

Once arriving at the scene, the duo sees the gang fighting Whamon and were having trouble due to his massive size. But as Gen looks over to the group, he sees a silver haired girl with a black eyepatch (Laura) and was instantly memorized by her. Bearmon, however, was more conserved about the battle and it wasn't going well for Ichika and his friends as Gen also noticed.

"Hey, those guys are having trouble with that Digimon!" Gen gasped in shock. "That Digimon is an Ultimate Level and he's just toying with them!"

"Gen, we've got to help them!" Bearmon shouted. "There's no way they'll stand up to Whamon, he's much too strong because he's an Ultimate! If we don't step in, they won't last much longer!"

"But what can we do to help them, Bearmon?" Gen asked in concern. "I don't know what to do, I'm not used to fighting Digimon yet. I don't even know what to do about this."

"Gen, you have to help them!" Bearmon encouraged him. "Erika saved you from Phantom Task because of what she did to you was wrong! She wants you to help others stop Phantom Task from making other people suffer for their personal gain!" Gen looks at his hands while thinking about Erika and how she saved him from Phantom Task. He then clutches his hands while finding his resolve.

"You're right, Bearmon. I do need to help them!" Gen said with a determined frown. "Erika saved me because she knew what she did was wrong and wants to make up for her actions. I want to make sure Phantom Task is stopped before they make others suffer like us! I won't let them get away with their crimes!" His words and resolved started to make Bearmon glow as he knew it was time.

"Now that's what I'm talking about, Gen!" Bearmon grinned. "Now let's help those guys stop Whamon! Bearmon Digivole to… Grizzlymon!" Bearmon is now a grizzly bear with spiked shoulder pads and on his forehead is a blue crescent moon. Grizzlymon charged towards Whamon and yelled out "Maul Attack!" He launched his attack at Whamon, giving him big damager.

 **(We Are Xros Heart plays)**

"Whoa! When did that Digimon come from?!" White Sister (Ram) gawked. Gen ran up to the gang. Laura and Gen then looked into each other's eyes upon meeting for the first time and their heart beats at the site of meeting each other while blushing.

"A-Are you alright?" Gen stuttered as he looked away shyly.

"Y-Yeah…" Laura stuttered as well before regaining her compsure. "But first things first. We have to deal with Whamon. Wizardmon!" Laura issued.

"Right! Electro Squall!" Wizardmon launched his attack at Whamon, giving him bigger damage.

"Jet Arrow!" Whamon launched his attack at the gang, but they evaded it.

"Cross Combo!"

"Starburst Stream!" Purple Heart and Kirito combined their attacks to give Whamon large amounts of damage. Sinon didn't hesitated by firing arrows at Whamon, giving him small damage.

"Dragon Wheel!" Kyubiimon launched her attack at Whamon, giving him medium damage.

"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon punched Whamon with all her might, it gave the whale Digimon big damage.

"Cannonball!" Dorugamon launched his attack at Whamon, giving him medium damage. Whamon tried to swallow him whole, but he flew out of the way.

"Meteor Wing!"

"Slvet Spear!" Birdramon and Green Heart combined their attacks to give Whamon even more big damage.

"Strike Claw" Strikedramon launched his attack at Whamon, giving him big damage as well.

"Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon launched his attack at Whamon, giving him even more damage. Whamon tried to ram into him, but Grizzlymon got in the way and strikes him.

"Needle Spray!" Togemon launched her attack at Whamon, giving him medium damage. Whamon tried to hit her with a Jet Arrow, but Grizzlymon shielded her and blocked the attack.

"Guys! Keep it up! Whamon's weakening!" Twoearle cheered.

"Exvee Laser!" ExVeemon launched his attack at Whamon, giving him medium damage.

"Multi-Moon Shooter!" Stingmon launched his attack at Whamon, adding even more damage.

"Alright!" Ichika turns to Gen. "Alright, let's combine our attacks to deliver the finishing blow to Whamon!"

"Right!" Gen agrees. "Grizzlymon, get ready!"

"In that case, let me aid ye, lads!" CaptainHookmon agrees as he got ready.

"Mega Burst!"

"Crescent Dawn!" Grizzlymon launched a crescent moon attack.

"Leg Revolver!" CaptainHookmon fired his leg revolver at Whamon, combining with GeoGreymon and Grizzlymon's attacks to deliver the finishing blow on Whamon. Whamon roared in agony as he was deleted.

"Whoa…" Ussop muttered in awe.

"No way…" Nami gasped in shock.

"How did they do that?" Franky asked with wide eyes. "We threw everything we had on that thing, but we couldn't even hurt it. So how the hell were those guys able to take it out?"

"I believe these children might have some things we don't know about yet." Nico answered him as she added "From what they've shown, I have a feeling we might in for some new experiences with them." Everyone were all in deep thought from her words as they watched Ichika and the gang celebrating their victory over Whamon and their Digimon partners returned to their Rookie forms, save for Gatomon.

"Oh yeah, another one bites the dust!" Klein pumped his fist in the air in celebration. "We were able to send that Digimon to the junk pile with all the other junk data. Now we won't have to worry about him roaming around Kowloon any time soon."

"And plus, we were able to help avenge your crew, CaptainHookmon." Char agrees with a smile. "Now you can rest easy knowing that Whamon is no more and your crew can rest in peace. It must feel like a weights been lifted off your shoulders."

"Aye, that it is, lass. My debt has been repaid." CaptainHookmon agrees with a smile. "I'm certain my crew are now at ease with Whamon, thanks to all of ye. I'm now forever grateful for your help in helping me settle the score and avenging my crew. I'll always remember your brave efforts and valor."

"So where are you planning to go now?" Ranma asked in concern. "The Digimon who murdered your crew is gone, so what are you gonna do?"

"Just as I've always done, I go where the sea flows." CaptainHookmon answered him with a small smile. "The tides calls for me again and I must answer that call, so I must be setting sail once again. And who knows, our paths might cross again in the near future."

"And we'll be looking forward to meeting you again, CaptainHookmon." Ichika smiled at him. "But if you ever need our help again, just send a request over to the Kuremi Detective Agency. We'll be there to help you with any case you have for us." His friends all nodded in agreement as the Straw Hat Pirates continues watching them.

"That you can bet on, lad. I'll be sure to just that." CaptainHookmon said with a smile. "Well, best it's time for me to hoist anchor and shove off to new sights. I'll be see ye next time, Cyber Sleuths." Everyone waved goodbye as he walks down the path until he vanished into the distance.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next chapter: No Need for Digimon and Cyber Sleuths! Luffy's Adventure in Tokyo!**

 **A/n: Another chapter done. And a fine one I might add. Panther J has to be at Puerto Rico for a trip and he got back. And now I am going on a trip as well to celebrate Passover, but we will work on the next chapter when I'm away. Next up, the gang introduced themselves to the Straw Hats and return to the real world, but Luffy wanders off to explore Tokyo and our heroes have to search for him and the Tenchi Muyo gang appeared with scenes based on a chapter of MegaMan X IS and a story by Emma Iveil. So I'll see you next time!**


	16. No Need for Digimon and Cyber Sleuths!

**A/N: Time for the finale of the second anime filler segment. After this chapter, it's on to the second main case that involves the gang helping a video game developer with a game he's working on. And then after that, it's on to the third anime filler segment with Hundred, Mew Mew Power and Shomin Sample. Card Captor Sakura was originally going to be in the third anime filler segment, but Panther J suggests that we put Shomin Sample in the third anime filler segment. And yes, Hundred is a real anime, check out its Wikipedia article and you'll understand. So here is Chapter 16.**

 **Chapter 16: No Need for Digimon and Cyber Sleuths! Luffy's Adventure in Tokyo!**

* * *

After helping CaptainHookmon settle the score with Whamon and avenging his crew, the pirate Digimon took his leave to parts unknown while also promising to meet with Ichika and the gang again one day. After his departure, our heroes all regrouped with each other along with the two newcomers who helped them in dealing with Whamon.

"Whew, that sure was a close one." Ichika sighed in relief. "I'm glad we made it in time and stop Whamon before it got out of control." Everyone nodded in agreement as they turned to the two newcomers. "Thanks for jumping in when you two did, I was a little worried Whamon might've got the upper hand or fin in his case." Everyone chuckled at his joke.

"No problem, glad we arrived just in time." Gen smiled. "We heard some noises coming from here and decided to see what was happening. When we came here, we saw you guys fighting Whamon and were having trouble because of his massive size. So we wanted to help you guys fight him and protect those people over there." He gestures over to the still confused Straw Hat Pirates who were trying to comprehend what just happened.

"And boy are we glad you did, pal." Ling agrees in gratitude. "We were lucky you two jumped into action and helped us take out Whamon. Ultimate Level Digimon sure are really tough to fight, even with all of us working together." Everyone nodded in agreement as she turns to Ichika. "By the way, should we also make sure those guys are still alright?" Everyone turned to the Straw Hat Pirates and realized she was right.

"Yeah, that's a good idea, Ling." Ichika agrees with a nod. "We should definitely see if they're alright." Everyone nodded in agreement as they all walked over to the Straw Hat crew. *Hey, are you guys okay? Can you still stand up?" He holds his hand out to Luffy who took it and pulls him back onto his feet.

"Yeah, thanks a lot for helping us. I thought we were goners." Luffy answered him in gratitude. "We're really glad you guys came to our rescue, we really owe you." He gave his signature big smile while Ichika smiled back at him. "So who are you guys anyway? And where are we?"

"We can tell you everything, but not here." Houki answered him with a serious frown. "This place isn't safe and we don't know when we'll be attacked again. So let's get going before that happens, we'll explain everything on the way." Everyone nodded in agreement and were about to start walking, Sanji dashes over to Char and holds her hand into his.

"My, what a beautiful young lady you are, my dear." Sanji said with a perverted smile. "I didn't think I'd find a flower as radiant as you, but here you are right in front of me. If you would be so kind as to accompany me for dinner tonight?" Char was speechless that he was asking her on a date while everyone else was just shocked at what they were seeing and Ichika was getting mad.

"Uhh… I don't know how to respond to that." Char stammered. "I mean, we've just met and I haven't gone on my first date yet. I don't know if I'm ready yet." Before Sanji could say anything else, Ichika had enough and wasn't going to take it any longer.

"Hey, you take your hands off her, pal!" Ichika snarled in anger. "I'm not just gonna let you flirt with her! Agumon, use Pepper Breath on him!"

"You got it, Boss! Pepper Breath!" Agumon launched his attack right on Sanji's pants and sets it on fire.

"YOW! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot!" Sanji yells frantically as he run around comically while trying to put out the fire on his pants.

"Ichika, thank you for standing up for me." Char said with a smile. "I didn't know what was going to happen next if you haven't stepped in. I'm grateful for you and Agumon saving me." Both her and Ichika stared at each other for a few seconds until Satoru calls out to them.

"Hey, are you guys coming or not?" Satoru asked them. "We need to head back to the agency and tell Kyoko about what happened! If you don't hurry up, we might leave you two behind!" Both Ichika and Char nodded as they ran towards their friends with their Digimon partners trailing behind just as Sanji puts out the fire.

"Ahh… that was a close one." Sanji sighed in relief. "I thought I wasn't gonna put it out until it burnt through my pants. But I don't think I'll be sitting down for a while." He then looks around to notice everyone had left. "Huh? Where did everyone go?" He looks ahead to see them in the distance as he stands back up and runs after them. *Hey, wait for me! Don't leave me behind, guys!"

* * *

As our heroes make the trek back to the agency in the real world, Ichika and his friends started explaining to their new friends about the place they're in is known as Kowloon and the creatures with them known as Digimon. While Gen and Bearmon already knew most of what they're talking about, the Straw Hat crew were still confused at what they were talking about.

"Okay, so let's see if we're hearing you guys right." Nami began as she looked at the gang skeptically. "From what you're telling us, this place we're in is called Kowloon inside this cyberspace thing. And those creatures with you and the one that attacked us are called Digimon." Ichika and his friends all nodded "But how can we be sure you're all telling the truth? For all I know, you guys could be lying to us to make us drop our guard and turn us in."

"I know what we're saying may sound farfetched to you, but we're not lying." Houki reasoned. "We're definitely inside cyberspace and you guys were attacked by Whamon. It might take a while to sink in, but it'll make sense sooner or later."

"And plus, you guys don't have to worry about us turning you in." Ling said with a smile. "From what Ichika told us after seeing all of you in his vision last night, you're all not like the pirates we've seen in stories and movies. You all cared about each other when Whamon attacked and are the opposite of how people normally see pirates." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Ichika? Who the hell is Ichika?" Franky asked in confusion. "And what do you mean about seeing us in a vision last night?"

"That's me, I'm Ichika. Ichika Orimura." Ichika answered with a smile. "I'm the one who saw you guys in my vision last night and told everyone about your situation. And since I already told you my name, I believe it's time we introduce ourselves." His friends all nodded in agreement and were about to start, but no one noticed that Gen was being wary of Ichika as he starts to introduce his friends. "Okay, these are my friends Houki Shinonono, Lingyin Huang, Cecilia Alcott, Charlotte Dunios, Laura Bodewig, Tatenashi and Kanzashi Sarashiki, Twoearle, Satoru Kuremi, Agumon, Elecmon, Renamon, Gatomon, Candlemon, Palmon, Monodramon and Dorumon." All his friends and their Digimon partners all waved or nodded at the newcomers.

"Yo, how's it going, my peeps." Neptune greeted as she waved casually. "I'm Neptune, the CPU of Planetune and the supporting heroine for Ichika here." She gestures to Ichika as everyone sweat dropped while her sister and fellow CPUs either sighed, face palmed or have anger veins on their foreheads. "Next up is my sister Nepgear or Nep Jr. as I like to call her, Noire or Lonely Heart of Lastation and her sister Uni, Blanc of Lowee and her twin sisters Rom and Ram and last but not least is Vert of Leanbox."

"Neptune…" Noire said darkly as a black aura appeared around her.

"Eep! Shutting up now." Neptune showed the blank white shocked eyes expression upon seeing Noire so angry.

"A CPU? What the hell is a CPU?" Nami asked in confusion.

"To put it simply, they're goddesses who rules over their own city." Satoru answered.

"Wait, they're goddesses?!" Franky gawked in shock as he looked at the CPUs with a surprised and shocked expression. "How the hell are they goddesses? They look like normal girls to me!"

"It's like Nepgear said last time, looks can be deceiving." Kirito said with a nervously smile. "And since Ichika already introduced him and his friends, it's time we do the same." His wife, daughter, sister and friends all nodded in agreement. "Well, my name is Kirito and these are my friends, Asuna, Yui, Leafa, Klein, Liz, Silica, Agil, Sinon, Phillia, Kusanagi, Veemon and Wormmon." His wife, daughter, sister, friends and the two Digimon all waved or nodded. Sanji waltz over to Asuna.

"Asuna-chan! My name is Sanji, and I would like to go out on a-?!" Sanji noticed the wedding ring on Asuna's finger. "Y-You're married?!" He gawked.

"Why yes, yes I am." Asuna frowned as she glared at Sanji. In her thoughts, she wanted to tell him that she and Kirito are married in-game, but since this peverted pirate from the world Ichika saw in his vision is still new to Ichika's world, she would tell him later at some point or the other.

"To who?!" Sanji snarled. Asuna pointed to Kirito with a smile who smiled back. Sanji glared at Kirito. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?!" Sanji was about to attack Kirito, but he whipped out his trusty Elcidator sword and pointed it at Sanji who backed off, not wanting to leave a bad impression on the people who saved him and his friends.

"That means we're now up next, my name is Yukinari Sasaki." Yukinari greeted with a smile. "These are my friends Miharu Sena Kanaka, Kirie Kojima, Kazuharu and Lisa Fukuyama, Koyomi Hare Nanaka, Tomoka Lana Jude, Hayate and Kosame." All his friends waved or nodded while Fukuyama didn't care.

"And last but not least is us, I'm Ranma Saotome." Ranma greeted with a smile. "These are my friends Akane Tendo and her sisters Nabiki and Kasumi, Shampoo, Mousse, Tatewaki and Kodachi Kuno, Ukyo Kuonji and Ryoga Hibiki." His friends all waved or nodded at the newcomers as Gen was still glaring at Ichika until they all noticed.

"Hey, what's the matter with you, kid?" Agil asked in concern. "You're looking at Ichika with some hostility in those eyes of yours. Is there something wrong?"

"He said his last name was Orimura, right?" Gen asked with an angry frown as Ichika nodded "That's the same last name as someone else I know who's been after us for weeks after we escaped from Phantom Task!" That made Ichika, Satoru, Twoearle and the IS girls all gasped in shock while their otherworldly friends were confused.

"Wait, you escaped from Phantom Task weeks ago?!" Ling gawked in shock. "Then you must be one of the runaways those two agents from Phantom Task were looking for when we fought them the other day."

"Yeah, and there's no way in hell I'm going back!" Gen snapped as tears fell out of his eyes. "I've been tortured and experimented on by an Orimura in order to be turned into some kind of weapon! And since he's an Orimura, he'll just do the same to me as Phantom Task did!"

"Wait, Ichika isn't like the ones at Phantom Task." Laura reasoned with him as she began to calm him down. "I know you had some bad history with the other Orimura, but he's nothing like her. I can assure you that he's a good Orimura."

"How can you be so sure?" Gen asked skeptically. "How do you know he's not like the other Orimura I know? He could have tricked you into thinking he's not like those at Phantom Task. So why should I believe he's not like them?"

"Because I used to think the same way a long time ago." Laura answered him with a soft smile. "Back when I first arrived, I used to worship his sister Chifuyu and thought he was the reason she was weak. At that moment, I thought to eliminate him and bring the Chifuyu I looked up to back to Germany and train me again. But after he saved me from nearly killing everyone and myself, I realized what she meant about him being her strength and I fell in love with him soon after. But I now know he might have feelings for my best friend and I'll support them for life." Gen and Bearmon started to calm down a little after hearing her words as both Ichika and Char looked at each other before turning away while blushing.

"Are you really sure he's not like her?" Gen asked "And are you also sure he won't use me like a tool?" Laura nodded to reassure him that Ichika won't use him like a tool. "Okay, then we take your word about him. If you say that he's not like the people at Phantom Task or the Orimura I know, then we believe you." Bearmon nodded in agreement as everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

"Now that you've calmed down, how about you tell us your names?" Ichika asked with a kind smile "I know you've had some traumatic from someone with the same last name as me, but I can definitely vouch for Laura." He then holds his hand out to Gen. "So what do you say, want to join us? I know you don't trust me yet, but I'm positive we can keep you safe from Phantom Task should they try to show themselves again." Gen and Bearmon looked into his eyes and could tell he wasn't lying. After thinking for a moment, Gen took Ichika's hand into his and shook as their Digimon partners mirrored their actions.

"Yeah, we'll be glad to join you guys." Gen agrees with a smile. "As long we're with you guys, we'll be safe from Phantom Task. I just hope we'll meet up with her again." Bearmon knew what he was talking about while everyone else were confused. *Never mind, it's nothing important. Anyway, I'm Gen and this is my partner Bearmon.* Bearmon waved at Ichika and his friends as they all waved back.

"Nice to meet you both, Gen and Bearmon." Ichika said with a smile. "We really appreciate you two jumping in to help us against Whamon, I thought we would've been done for if you guys haven't' shown up when you did. I guess lady luck was really on our side." Everyone nodded in agreement as they turned to the Straw Hat Pirates. "And now that everything's calmed down, why not tell us your names? Since we've already said our names, it's only fair we hear your names as well."

"Fair enough, I suppose we do owe you guys for saving us from that monster." Zoro agrees before glaring at the gang. "But even though you guys saved us, I don't trust you fully just yet. So you guys better not betray us when we least expect it."

"Don't worry, I can assure you we won't betray you." Houki reassured him. "It might take some time for you to trust us, but we can wait that long. Her friends all nodded in agreement as Zoro can tell they were telling the truth.

"I can see you guys are telling the truth, so I'm holding you to that." Zoro said with a small smile before frowning seriously. "But I'm keeping an eye on you guys if you ever do think of betraying us, so you better watch your backs.* Ichika and the gang all nodded as he nods back and clears his throat. *Okay, now with that settled, allow me to introduce myself to you. I'm Roronora Zoro, swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates. But you can just call me Zoro."

"I'm Nami, the navigator of our crew." Nami greeted with a smile. "I make sure our crew's heading in the right direction of our destination and pick the next destination… and I like treasure."

"Name's Vinsmoke Sanji, the cook of the Straw Hats." Sanji greeted with a smile. "I'm a man with a passion for cooking food and women as well. And while I do love the sight of attractive women, I am also a gentleman. You all can call me just Sanji." He takes out a cigarette from his pocket and lights it as he starts smoking.

"Nice to meet all of you, I'm Nico Robin." Nico greeted with a smile. "I'm the archeologist of the Straw Hats and a fairly recent member. I joined Luffy and his friends after they helped me from some past issues and I owe them for everything they've done for me. I hope we do get along with each other.*

"H-Hi, I'm Tony Tony Chopper and I'm the doctor of the Straw Hats." Chopper greeted with a stutter "I make sure everyone's in good health and heal them from wounds, ailments or broken limbs. And yes, before you all say anything, I'm a reindeer who can talk and walk like a human." Everyone all looked at him with bewildered looks as they are seeing a talking reindeer who's also a doctor. "But you can all just call me Chopper."

"How cute!" Miharu, Nepgear and Kasumi squealed at how cute Chopper is.

"Shut up! I'm not cute you assholes!" Chopper did a happy little dance upon being called cute which made everyone except for the Straw Hats and Miharu, Nepgear and Kasumi sweat drop.

"Looks like they're all too stunned by our greatness." Usopp said with a cocky smile. "Now that it's my turn, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Usopp, the brave captain of the Straw Hats crew. Please feel free to bask yourself in my bravery and superiority of my crew." Nami and Zoro just face palms while Sanji sighs in annoyance over their crew mate's lying antics again.

"You liar, there's no way that's true at all..." Ling said flatly with the annoyed dotted eye look.

"Yeah, there's no way you're the captain." Gatomon agrees with an annoyed frown. "So don't try to take credit for someone else's achievements just to make yourself look good. Besides, a wimp like you can never be a captain." That made Usopp jump in shock as his image shatters like glass and breaks away as he slumps in disappointment.

"Well, glad to see someone put that big mouth in his place." Franky said with a grin. "Moving on, I'm up next. Name's Franky, also a new member of the Straw Hats who was just recruited months ago. I'm the shipwright of the crew where I keep the Thousand Sunny in tiptop shape. But don't expect me to repair or build anything else, I only work on ships."

"And last but not least is me, Monkey D. Luffy." Luffy said with his signature big smile. "I'm the real captain of the Straw Hats and the one destined to become the King of the Pirates! Me and my crew have been sailing through the Grand Line in search of a legendary treasure known as One Piece left behind by the Pirate King himself, Gol D. Roger. Just before he was executed, he said that his fortune was now for the taking and pirates from all over the world set sail to find his treasure and claim the title as King of the Pirates!"

"Nice to meet all of you. I'm glad we were able to save you from Whamon in time." Nepgear smiled. "When we heard from Ichka about you being attacked by Whamon, I was afraid we weren't going to make it in time. But I'm glad we were able to help before it got out of control." Her sister, friends and fellow CPUs all nodded in agreement. "But how come your last names are first and your first names are last? Is it a custom in your world?"

"Yes, it's common for our people to have their last names first and their first names last." Nico answered her as she began explaining. "Although I'm not entirely sure as to why it's a custom, but I do have some theories about it. My guess is that during the dawn of time when our world began, the people of that era created a custom where, when you introduce yourself, you must always introduce yourself with their last names first and their first names last. That's just one of my theories as to why our names became as they are today."

"Hold on, there was something else that Ichika mentioned from his vision." Liz remembered as she continued. "From what he told us, Luffy was able to stretch his arms really far during your fight with Whamon. So how was he even able stretch his arms out so far?"

"That's because he's eaten a Devil Fruit and has gained the ability to become rubber." Nami answered her. "Each Devil Fruit grants a person special powers to whoever eats it and Luffy's one of those people. The one he ate was called the Gum-Gum Fruit, which gave him the ability to stretch his limps like rubber. He can also inflate himself like a balloon to soften his fall or stretch himself to catch us like a net. He's even immune to most attacks that would harm or kill a normal person. Such as bullets, cannonballs and even just trying to hit him with blunt force just bounces off." Her crew mates all nodded in agreement while Ichika and his friends gasped in shock. "It's also our mission to find the legendary treasure in a land known as One Piece, where Gol D. Roger had hidden before his execution."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Noire said annoyed with the dull anime expression. "What kind of idiot names a land that houses this so called legendary treasure One Piece? That doesn't make any sense in the slightest!"

"And hold on, you guys said that Luffy can stretch his arms like rubber, right?" Ranma asked in confusion. "How's that even possible? Can he really stretch his body like rubber?"

"Yes, it's all true as Nami explained." Nico answered him. "But that doesn't mean he's invincible, he does have some weaknesses with his rubber body. Like other Devil Fruit users, Captain Luffy has a weakness to water as since the Devil Fruits alters their bodies, they can't swim like normal anymore. In Luffy's case, it nullifies his ability to absorb blunt attacks and his rubber body is harden. Not only that, but rubber doesn't fair well against blades as they can cut through with ease. So it does have its strengths and its weaknesses, but our captain has made the most out of his rubber body."

"Whoa, now that's just amazing." Klein gasped in amazement. "If that was a feature or released as DLC in SAO, then that could really break the game. Not even some of the most skilled players can win against that." His friends all nodded in agreement as the Straw Hats were confused.

"SAO? DLC? What are those?" Nami asked in confusion. "Are they some kind of treasure?" Everyone soon realized that their world isn't like the others as it's in the past when pirates sailed the seas.

"That's right, your world's completely different from ours." Twoearle said with a nervous smile as she rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Since its set during a time where pirates ruled the seas, it's only natural they don't know anything about technology. This might take a lot of explanation to get them to understand about machines and other things like that." Everyone nodded in agreement while the Straw Hats were still confused.

"Hey, what the hell are you guys talking about?" Franky asked in frustration. "What's all that talk about this SAO or whatever you call it?"

"It's a long story, but I can assure you we'll explain everything later." Cecilia answered him. "But before we continue, there's something I've been meaning to ask you, Luffy." Luffy nods and hears what she has to say. "That straw hat on your head. Where did you get it from?"

"Oh, you mean this? This was given to me by my hero Shanks." Luffy grins as he takes off his straw hat and spins it around. "He gave it to me when I was a kid because he saved my life back in my hometown. A lot of people would insult Shanks and his crew because they're pirates, but I defended him from those jerks. Just before he left, he gave me his straw hat and it's been my dream to return it to him when I become a great pirate and find Gol D. Rogers treasure. And when I do, I'll be strong enough to defeat the Red Haired Pirates with Shanks himself being my last opponent."

"That sounds like an amazing dream, Luffy-san." Miharu smiled, "I know you'll be able to fulfill your hero's dream of finding the treasure of Gol D. Roger." Luffy gave his trademark smile and gives her a thumbs up.

"Yep, you can bet on it!" Luffy agrees as they continued their trek back to agency.

* * *

During the trek back to the agency in the real world, Ichika turns to Gen to ask him about something before making it back to the office in the real world.

"Hey Gen, before we continue on, there's something important I want to ask you." Ichika said as Gen turned to him. "Do you have a Digivice with you? You might need it if you want to store Bearmon when we make it back to the real world."

"Digivice? You mean something like this?" Gen shows them a watch like device on his wrist as Ichika nods. "Someone I knew gave it to me before we were separated a while back. I've had it during my captivity in Phantom Task and was given to me by someone who helped me escaped from them. We then had to separate from her because we were ambushed by Gizamon, but I really didn't want to. She then told me that we'll meet up again in the real world, so we had no choice but to leave her while she deals with the Gizamon to keep them off our trail."

"And that's how you two found us fighting Whamon and decided to help by having Bearmon digivolve into his Champion form." Houki nods in understanding. "But with you and Bearmon separated from your friend, what are you two going to do now and where will you go?" Both Gen and Bearmon looked at each other for a moment before turning back to her.

"I guess we'll be with you guys until we meet up with her again." Bearmon answered her with a small smile. "She promised that we'll see her again in the real world, but we don't have any other place to go and Phantom Task are still on our tail. If they find us, they'll take us back to their base and continue doing experiments on him."

"Then we'll be more than happy to take you two in with us." Ichika smiled. "We'll make sure you two are safe from Phantom Task and help you reunite with your friend if we ever meet up with her in the real world." His friends all nodded in agreement while the Straw Hats raised an eyebrow. "But before we do, we'll need to install a feature into your Digivice to allow Bearmon to exist in the real world. So let's head for the DigiLab and meet up with Mirei, she'll know what to do." His friends all nodded in agreement while Gen, Bearmon and the Straw Hats were confused.

"Okay, just what the hell you guys are talking about?" Zoro grumpily asked "Who's this Mirei you're talking about?"

"You'll meet her when we go see her." Houki told him calmly "She's someone we've met a few weeks ago and gave us a feature that allows our partners to come into the real world. But to meet her, we'll need to find an Access Point to enter the DigiLab and see her." Everyone looked around the area until Silica sees an Access Point not too far from them.

"Hey guys, there's an Access Point over there!" Silica shouted as everyone turned to where she was pointing.

"Nice job spotting it, Silica." Kirito smiled which made Silica blush. "Now we can see Mirei and she'll install the feature Houki mentioned into Gen's Digivice." Everyone nodded in agreement as they all headed for the Access Point and Ichika used his Connect Jump to enter the DigiLab

* * *

Meanwhile in the DigiLab, Mirei was sitting at her seat working on her laptop with her cats next to her. She then turns her attention to the terminal as Ichika and the gang all appeared into the lab with several new faces and closes her computer to greet them while Gen, Bearmon and the Straw Hats were looking around in amazement.

"Welcome back, Cyber Sleuths. I see you're all doing well." Mirei said with a smile as she looked at the Straw Hats. "And I see you also have some new faces with you as well. I take it they're from other worlds?" The Straw Hats all gasped in shock.

"Wait, how does she know that?!" Nami gawked. "How can she know we're not from here?!"

"I happen to know some things that are meant to be a secret to others." Mirei answered her with a smirk as she continued. "Even the existence of other worlds were meant to be a secret, but now that's no longer the case. Someone is tampering with the walls of the worlds and is sending the inhabitants, as in all of you, to this world. But seeing as how all of you came to this world, I can only imagine who else might've gone through the same way as all of you."

"But who's this person doing all of this?" Nico asked in concern with a serious tone. "And what does he plan to accomplish? Is he trying to prove something?"

"That I can't say for sure, but I can say that he has a powerful influence." Mirei answered her with a serious frown. "But I believe that's enough all I can say for now. The rest you'll have to learn on your own." She then turns to Ichika and his friends. "Now with that out of the way, what do I owe this visit? Was there something you need me for?"

"Oh right, I almost forgot why we came to see you." Ichika remembered. "We're here because our new friend Gen needs the same feature you've added to our Digivices last time. He needs it to bring Bearmon into the real world when it's just us."

"I see, that does seem reasonable enough." Mirei said with a smile. "Very well, I'll do just as you requested." She gestured Gen and Bearmon to approach her and they did as she looks at the Digivice on his wrist. *Hmm… an interesting Digivice you have here… I might add a few features into this one much like I did for Ichika. Now don't move until I'm finished." Gen nods as she starts working on his Digivice. A few minutes later, Mirei has just finished adding the features into Gen's Digivice. "Okay, that should do it. Now your Digivice is really to be used whenever you like."

"Wow, you really worked fast, Mirei." Gen gasped in amazement. "I didn't think you'd add so many features into a small device. You sure know your way with technology."

"Well, I do watch over this DigiLab after all." Mirei smiled as she pushed her glasses up. "So I happen to know my way with technology very well, even if they were created by someone else. But for how these features work, you'll have to figure that out yourself as you continue on your journey." Gen and Bearmon nods as they returned to Ichika and the gang before heading out.

"Okay, thanks for your help, Mirei." Ichika bowed in gratitude. "We'll be heading back to Kyoko and tell her about everything that just happened. We'll be back here again if we need your help." Everyone nodded in agreement as they exited from the DigiLad and continued on to the agency.

* * *

Back in the real world, Kyoko was in her office waiting for Ichika and the gang to return from their mission. As she leans back in her chair to stretch, the TV screen starts to glow brightly until a flash of light shoots out from the screen and lands in the center of the office as Ichika and the gang emerged from the light with their new friends with them.

"Jeez, what the hell was that all about?" Nami gawked as she tried to regain her composure. "How did we end up in this room from that place we were in? Did you eat a Devil Fruit that gave you those abilities?"

Before Ichika could answer, Kyoko spoke up for him. "Not exactly, but he did gain his abilities in a different matter. How he got those abilities in the first place, I'm afraid that's for another time. So Cyber Sleuths, I take it your mission was successful?" She then noticed Gen with them. "Oh, and who do we have here? So was he also someone you needed to save as well?"

"Actually, he, Bearmon and CaptainHookmon helped us save Luffy and his friends from Whamon." Houki answered with a smile. "When we arrived in Kowloon to help them, we ran into another Digimon named CaptainHookmon who had a score to settle with him for sinking his ship and devouring his crew. So we helped him settle it with Whamon and with the help of Gen and Bearmon, we were able to save Luffy and his friends just in time. After the battle, CaptainHookmon went on his way and we promised to see him again."

"I see, that does make the most logical sense." Kyoko said with a smile. "Still, I'm relieved you to see you're all in one piece. So now that everyone's safe and sound, mind introducing me to your new friends?" Before anyone could get a word out, Sanji immediately rushed over to her and takes her hands into his.

"Please, allow me to introduce myself to you, my love." Sanji said with a perverted smile. "My name is Vismoke Sanji, the chef of the Straw Hats and a lover of women, but you can just call me Sanji. If you would be so kind, shall I prepare a meal for a beautiful maiden such as yourself?" Everyone was just speechless at this as Kyoko just smiles at him before he felt a massive pain from between his legs. Everyone looked down to see that she had kicked him in his unmentionables.

"Sorry, but sad to say that you're not my type..." Kyoko said calmly "Like I told Fukuyama, I'm not the kind of woman that you can take advantage of. So don't try to waste your breath on me, I won't be easily reeled in by that clinched pick up line. So I hope you've learned your lesson on how not to gain women that way, are we clear?" Sanji was in so much pain that he couldn't answer, but still managed to nod as he falls to the floor while holding his crotch with his hand and everyone was just shocked at what they saw.

"Okay, now I'm really scared of Kyoko..." Klein gulped. "I didn't think she'd do something like that to Sanji when he tried to flirt with her. Remind me to never flirt with her for as long as I live." Everyone else all nodded in agreement as Kyoko turns to them.

"Well, now with that settled, how about you introduce me to your friends?" Kyoko suggested, smiling again. "They sure don't look like anyone I've seen around these parts. Are they foreigners?" Before anyone could answer, they noticed that Luffy was gone as an outline of his body blinks, indicating that he's no longer there.

"Hey, where did Luffy run off to?" Ling asked in shock as she looked around. "He was right here with us a minute ago. He couldn't have just vanished without us knowing."

"Actually, he does. This always happens when we dock at a new island..." Nami moaned. "He always runs off into town to try out the food there and eat to his heart's content. Though I'm not entirely sure how our currency would work here."

"Then we've got to find him and fast!" Ichika urged. "Tokyo's a big city and he doesn't know his way around! We'd better make sure he doesn't get lost in all those huge crowds of people!" Everyone nodded in agreement and headed for the entrance of Nakano.

As our heroes exited the entrance to Nakano, they all looked around to find Luffy but he was nowhere to be seen. More and more people keep coming into the sidewalks, driving in their vehicles and entering in and out of stores around the area. It made it even worse as more people arrived on the bus and making it even more crowded than it already is.

"Great, now what are we going to do?" Liz asked with a groan as she rubbed her temples. "How can we find that knucklehead in a crowd as big as Tokyo? It's going to take all day to find him." As they were coming up with a plan to search for Luffy, they heard Renamon's voice from Cecilia's Digivice.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance in this one?" Renamon suggested. "I can sense his whereabouts by detecting his energy from his body. That way, I can search for him easily and let you know when I find him."

"Ok, we'll be counting on you, Renamon." Cecilia said with a smile. "We'll also do our part in searching for Luffy on the ground while you look for him from a higher point." Everyone looked around to make sure no one was watching them. Once the coast was clear, Cecilia holds out her Digivice and shouts out "Realize!" to have Renamon appear in the real world.

"Okay, I'll start my search for him now." Renamon said with a nod. "I'll send a signal to all of you when I do find him." By doing a series of flips, she climbs up the wall of Nakano until she reaches the rooftop of the shopping center. Then with a big jump, she does the same on another building to reach rooftop again before continuing on by jumping from rooftop to rooftop while everyone else starts their search on the street level.

* * *

 **With Luffy**

* * *

In the streets of Tokyo, Luffy was wandering around Shinjuku looking at the different shops and restaurants as far as he can see, not caring about the strange looks he's getting from everyone. Though, he's more interested in the restaurants as he enters one he saw and went inside as he ordered everything that was on the menu, much to the surprise of everyone else in the restaurant. Once he had finished eating, he placed his blast bowl of ramen on the table and rubbed his full stomach.

"Ah man, that was just so good!" Luffy said happily. "I didn't think the food here would be this delicious! I've got to try out the other restaurants around here." He stands up from his chair and places his money on the table as he leaves. "There you go, 400 Berries! Thanks for the great meal!" He strolls out the door as one of the waiters tries to stop him.

"Hey you! Come back here!" The waiter snapped. "I don't even know this kind of money! You better get back here and pay up right now!" But Luffy didn't hear him and continued on his way.

* * *

As Luffy continues exploring around Shinjuku, he hears someone screaming followed by shouting. He looked over to the other side of the street to see three men in black clothing wielding guns attacking a shop. People were gathering just outside the shop as the robbers were threatening shoppers and employees with their guns as they were telling them to put their money or anything valuable into their bags or they'll be killed if they don't. Luffy couldn't stand seeing innocent people being hurt, so he rushes into the shop to stop the robbers.

"All right, now all of you listen up!" Robber 1 shouted. "This is a robbery and I want all of you to do as we say! But if you don't, then you'll be standing on the other end of a barrel! Do I make myself clear?" Everyone didn't say a word, but they all nodded in fear. "Now that we've come to an agreement, this won't be much of a problem. Now hand over all your money, jewelry and anything else that might be valuable and place them all in this bag! Do as you're told and there will be no trouble." Everyone took out their wallets, jewelry and other belongings as the second robber went around with bag in hand for them to place their items in. As he makes it halfway, he ends up getting punched in the face and crashes into one of the shelves that got the first and third robbers' attention.

"What the hell?! How did that happened?" Robber 3 gasped in shock as he sees his cohort getting up. "Who's the idiot that decided to stand up against us?!" The three robbers all looked ahead to find Luffy standing before them and not looking happy.

"This idiot, that's who!" Luffy answered them with an angry frown. "I'm not going to let you jerks hurt these people any longer! Now you all better leave now or this is going to get ugly!"

"Too late for that, you cosplay idiot!" Robber 2 snarled. "It already has turned ugly when you stepped in and attacked me! Now we're going to use you as an example for those who tries to stop us!" The three robbers all fired their guns at Luffy as he just stood his ground and took the bullets head-on. But to everyone's surprise, the backside of his body stretches out and catches the bullets before springing back into place and the bullets fell onto the floor.

"What the?! How did that just happened?!" Robber 1 gawked in shock as he took a step back. "How is he still standing after taking all those bullets?! What the hell is he?!"

"I'm someone you do not want to mess with, buddy…" Luffy said with determination. "I don't take kindly to people who take advantage of others for their selfish gain. So I'm going to teach you three a very painful lesson." He leans backwards as he arm stenches out from the shop before bringing it back while shouting "Gum-Gum Pistol!" and punches the robbers at the same time as he sends them flying into the wall and knocks them out.

The people were all just stunned at what they just witness, a person with special powers just came to their rescue and defeated the robbers with little effort. Luffy turns to face them and smiles with his signature grin before giving a peace sign and everyone cheered for him. Just then, police cars arrives on the scene and everyone gathered around as Renamon appeared behind Luffy.

"Oh hey, you're Cecilia's partner, right?" Luffy asked with a smile. "You should've seen what I did just now! Those thieves were about to steal everyone's stuff, but I jumped in and save them all! Now those guys won't be bothering anyone now."

"That's all well and good, but we need to leave now." Renamon said with a frown. "You shouldn't wander around someplace you don't know about, it's really dangerous. You're lucky I found you before those police did or you might be considered to be one of the robbers. Come on, we're heading back to the others." She grabs his shoulder and makes both of them vanish before the police could question the pirate and find out who he was.

* * *

In another dimension, there was a standard Japanese house by a large lake that could fit an entire family and some guests. Just then, a loud crash was heard from inside the house followed by shouting from two people that even made the entire house rumble. Our view later shifts to inside the house as two women were arguing over the young man sitting on the couch with several other women also watching the two arguing.

"Hey, just what the hell is your problem, princess?!" The teal haired woman growled as she emitted a red aura. "What makes you think you can just take advantage of the situation and make something for Tenchi? I told you before, he's all mine!"

"That's what you think, you no good, barbaric space pirate!" The dark purple haired woman snapped, showing a purple aura around her. "All you've done all day is try to seduce Tenchi-sama for most of the afternoon with that skimpy outfit you call a swimsuit! That's just plain absurd!"

"Shows just how much you know, you spoiled stuck up princess!" The teal haired woman countered. "I've seen you with that smirk on your face! You've been thinking of showing Tenchi that lingerie you've bought from the mall yesterday! So don't talk to me about being absurd!" The two continued glaring sparks at each other while everyone else all sighed in annoyance.

"How long have they been at this?" A dark skinned woman asked in confusion.

"I've lost count after the 600th time today and yesterday." The red haired girl answered her with a sigh. "They've been at each other's throats for a whole month and they still haven't stopped arguing." She then turns to the young man sitting right between them. "I guess that means you're still as popular as ever, Tenchi. They just can't seem to take their minds off you."

"I don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, Washu…" Tenchi sighed. "I just want them to stop fighting, but every time I try to stop them, they just glare at me and I have no choice but to back off. I honestly don't know what to do anymore." As the arguing continues on, there was a loud explosion that made everyone jump in surprise and even stopped the arguing.

"What was that just now?" The young girl asked in concern. "That didn't sound like ships coming into Earth, is it?" Before anyone could answer, a second explosion happened again that even blew a hole through the wall of the house.

"I don't know what that is, but I'm sure as hell not going to let it destroy our home!" The teal haired woman snapped with a growl. "Come on, you lazy asses! We're going to find what's attacking us!" Everyone nodded as they all ran out the front door to see what was attacking them.

As they ran outside, they saw a black bird like Digimon that looked identical to Birdramon, not that they knew attacking anything in site. "W-What the hell is that thing?" A dark blue haired woman with a red bandana gawked with wide eyes. "Is it a new type of alien that hasn't been discovered?"

"Hold on, let me see..." Washu then used her computer to scan the bird Digimon. Suddenly, she got an error message on her computer. "What?! This can't be!"

"What's the matter Miss Washu?" The young girl gasped in alarm.

"My computer has failed to identify this strange creature! I may be the greatest scientist in the universe, but this is something that's beyond my limit." Washu inspected her computer to see if it is working alright.

"Ugh! Some mother you turned out to be!" The teal haired girl growled. "I'll blast this creature straight to hell!" The teal haired girl fired laser blasts from her palms, but when they connected with the bird Digimon, they fizzled out. "W-What the crap?!" The teal haired girl gawked as a piano fell behind her in shock.

"Hah! Let me show you how it is done, you barbarian space pirate!" The purple haired woman boasted as she summoned mini cog like devices and they fired energy beams at the bird Digimon, but like with the teal haired girl's attacks, they fizzled out. "T-This can't be!" The purple haired girl gasped in shock. The black Birdramon lookalike noticed them and screeched and charged towards them.

"Ahhhhh! Why does this always happen to me?!" Tenchi screamed in fright and annoyance. Just as the Birdramon lookalike was about to get near them, an earthquake occurred and a bright flash occurred, engulfing both the people and the Birdramon lookalike, when it stopped, both were gone.

* * *

 **(Back in Ichika's world)**

* * *

As Ichika, Char, Nepgear and Kirito were looking for Luffy in a part of Shinjuku, Ichika stopped and feels tensed. His friends noticed his tensed behavior. "Ichika, what's wrong? You looked troubled for some reason." Char asked him in concern.

"I don't know Char…" Ichika said in concern. "I just got this gut feeling that something is about to happen here in Shinjuku and if that happens, we need to have our Digimon partners ready for whatever this may be."

"Could this be another power of your half-cyber body's abilities, Ichika?" Nepgear asked in concern.

"Maybe. But I'm not sure." Ichika answered her as he looked at the sky with a serious look on his face.

"Then we better be prepared for this." Kirito agrees, sharing Ichika's tensed features. Suddenly, Ichika's communicator ranged and he answered it.

"Ichika! Great news! Renamon has found Luffy and is bringing him back to Nankano. Let's meet up at the entrance of Nankano to discuss what to do next." Cecilia explained. "Also, it's 1:30 PM so we still have time to show Luffy and his friends around Nankano."

"Yeah. But I like to talk to you guys about something when we regroup. It's something important." Ichika agreed as he ended the call and nodded to his friends as they head back to Nankano.

* * *

Not long after hearing that Renamon found Luffy, everyone returned to Nakano to meet up with them and make sure that Luffy was okay. Once they've entered the office, there was Luffy siting on the sofa with Renamon and Kyoko keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn't wander off again.

"Hey guys, glad you finally made it back." Luffy greeted with a grin. "You guys wouldn't believe all the amazing places this city has! Even the food here is great! I tried one of the restaurants and it was delicious! I think the waiter there wanted me to have some more food."

"I highly doubt that's even the case, Luffy..." Renamon said with a annoyed frown. "From what I saw, he was actually yelling at you for paying him with money he doesn't even know about. So you were basically running out on him without paying for your meal."

"That's the only thing to worry about." Kyoko agrees with an annoyed frown as well. "We've also got complaints from people about an idiot in cosplay walking through the streets without looking both ways or on the designated areas to walk on. And even that's not the worse of it." She turns on the TV to show a new report about the robbery and how Luffy was able to stop the robbers. "Now there's a new report about you saving all those people from robbers and preventing a robbery at that store."

"Well, I couldn't just let those jerks hurt all those innocent people." Luffy said innocently. "It's not in my nature, I just had to save them. If I didn't, then who would? I had to help those people and stop those guys from stealing from them."

"Maybe so, but that still doesn't mean you can just wonder around Tokyo." Houki placed her hands on her hips with a frown. "It's a big city out there and you could get lost among the billions of people that live here. You were lucky that Renamon was able to find you before someone else did and could take you away somewhere else. If that were to happen, I doubt we'd help you that easily." Everyone nodded in agreement as they continued watching the news.

"As you can see behind me, there's been a robbery at this store." The reporter said as she showed the footage of the event. "From what we can gather, three armed men were attempting to rob the store and shoppers for all their valuables, but were stopped by someone. According to eyewitnesses, the person who stopped the men was a young man in a cosplay outfit that somehow was able to save them. The men open fired on the young man, but in a surprise turn of events, the bullets didn't even hurt him but instead just bounce off him like he was made of rubber. Then when the men were shock, the cosplayer actually stretched his arm real far behind him before flinging it back and punched into the wall. Now before anyone could thank him, he had suddenly vanished from trace. Who is this mysterious hero and where did he come from? Tune in next time when more on this incident develops." Just before closing off, someone screamed and everyone heard a loud screeching.

"What the hell is that up in the sky?!" A woman shouted and pointed to the sky as the camera turns around to find the same Digimon that attacked Tenchi and his friends.

The Digimon dive bombs down onto the street as he flies over the people and releases a strong gust of wind as it flies by. Just then, the Digimon starts flapping its wings as a barrage of purple feathers hits all the cars in the area and causes them to explode before flying off to another part of the city. Once the smoke cleared, all the people only suffered minor injuries but were in a panic.

"This just in, a giant black bird has been sighted in the area and has destroyed all vehicles in the area." The reporter reported. "No one knows where this bird came from, but it has flew off to another location to cause havoc. If you see the bird, stay indoors and don't go out onto the streets! Officials are on route to try and stop the bird before it harms any citizens! This is Natsume Miyazaki with the news, stay tune for more details!" The camera cuts off as everyone stared at the static screen.

"Hold on, didn't that Digimon looked like a black version of Birdramon?" Liz asked in shock. "But I thought Birdramon was red, not black. What could that Digimon be?"

"We've got no time for questions now!" Kyoko urged. "What's important is that Digimon's in the real world and is causing havoc in the city and could destroy everything in its path!" She stands up from her chair. "Cyber Sleuths, this is your new assignment. That Digimon is causing destruction on our city and you need to stop it. If we let it continue on its rampage, there's no telling what kind of casualties we'll be looking at. And also, if there's anyone in trouble, save them and get them out of harm's way. Is everyone clear on the task at hand?" Everyone nodded. "Okay, then the case is a go! Cyber Sleuths, assemble!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The Cyber Sleuths all shouted as they headed out to stop the Digimon from destroying their city.

* * *

Ichika and the gang decided to split up and help people out while the Straw Hats make sure Luffy doesn't run off again. Ichika was with Char and they spotted the Birdramon lookalike causing havoc in the streets of a sector of Shinjuku.

"There it is!" Ichika gasped as he placed his goggles over his eyes and scanned the Birdramon lookalike. "It's called Saberdramon, an evil version of Birdramon." Ichika turns to Char. "Alright. There's no one around, so let's bring our Digimon into the real world and save the city!" Char nodded as she and Ichika held out their Digivices and shouted "Realize!" Agumon and Biyomon materialized into the real world.

"Agumon, digivolve to…! GeoGreymon!"

"Biyomon, digivolve to…! Birdramon!"" As the two Digimon digivolve into their Champion forms. Sabredramon noticed the two and started attacking them. Just as Birdramon was about to attack, she narrowly missed a light beam attack.

"W-Where did that come from?!" Char gasped as Ichika used his eyes to find out what he's not believing he is seeing. A teal haired woman flying towards Birdramon and Saberdramon.

"So this bird freak is related to that bird freak that attacked us, huh?! I'll blast you two into the deepest pits of hell!" Just as the teal haired woman was about to attack Birdramon again, Ichika called out to her.

"W-Wait just a minute! She's not the enemy! That Digimon who is attacking the city is!" He reasoned. The teal haired woman looked at Ichika confusedly.

"Digimon? What the hell is a Digimon? Look kid, if you're going to get in my way, then I'll be more than happy to blast you and these bird freaks into oblivion!" Just as the teal haired woman was about to attack Ichika instead, Tenchi and his friends ran up to them.

"Ryoko! Cease and desist!" Washu ordered. The teal haired woman known as Ryoko looked at Washu liked an whiney child.

"But moooooom! Those bird freaks attacked us!" Ryoko whined.

"That orange bird that is attacking the one who attacked us is on our side. So let them handle it, okay?" Washu placed her hands on her hips. Ryoko sighed and relucntly nodded as she floated down.

"Thank you." Char bowed in gratitude as she nodded to Birdramon. Birdramon nodded as she rammed into Saberdramon, giving it medium damage.

"Black Saber!" Saberdramon yelled as he hit Birdramon with his talons.

"Mega Shot!" GeoGreymon launched his attack at Saberdramon, giving him bigger damage. Saberdramon growled as he charged towards Birdramon, but she dodged the attack and used her talons to hit Saberdramon, giving him big damage.

"Mach Shadow!" Saberdramon dashed towards Birdramon as he was coated in a shadowy aura and rammed into Birdramon.

"Birdramon!" Char covered her mouth in shock.

"It's alright, Char! I'm alright!" Birdramon reassured her friend and partner as she got Saberdramon off of her and used her wings to push Saberdramon back. Saberdramon tried to use Black Saber again, but Birdramon dodged it and used her talons to hit Saberdramon for medium damage.

"Mega Roar!" GeoGreymon launched his attack at Saberdramon, giving him big damage. Saberdramon growled as he used Mach Shadow on GeoGreymon, but he recovered and used Horn Impulse on Saberdramon, giving him big damage again.

"Night Roar!" Saberdramon, in a desperate attempt to defeat our heroes launched feathers at the Digimon partners of Ichika and Char, but they evaded them.

"Alright, GeoGreymon!" Ichika shouted.

"Birdramon!" Char cheered.

"Finish this battle!" Both Ichika and Char shouted in encouragement.

"Mega Flame!"

"Meteor Wing!" GeoGreymon and Birdramon combined their attacks to hit Saberdramon for big damage. Saberdramon screeched in agony as he was deleted.

Once Saberdramon was deleted, both GeoGreymon and Birdramon returned to their respected partners and back into their Rookie forms. Tenchi and his friends were amazed at what theyjsut saw, but Ryoko was still pouting at being told to back off and let Ichika, Char and their Digimon partners handle Saberdramon.

"Okay, that's the end of Saberdramon's rampage." Ichika smiled as he patted Agumon on the head while Char and Biyomon hugged each other. "We were lucky we've made it in time before he could cause any more damage. Now all that's left is to meet up with the others and head back to Nakano." Char and their Digimon partners all nodded in agreement as they turned to the newcomers. "Hey, are you guys all right? Anything damaged or broken?"

"No, we're all still in one piece. Thanks for asking." Tenchi answered him before asking Ichika this "But what the hell was that all about? How were those creatures with you were able to change sizes and took out that bird that attacked us?"

"We can explain everything to you, but not here." Char answered him. "I'm sure everyone will be asking the same question, so we shouldn't stick around when they do. We'll explain everything back at the office, come on." Tenchi and his friends knew that the only way to know what was going on is to follow Ichika and Char. As soon as Ichika and Char returned their Digimon back into the Digivices, they all made the trek back to Nakano to meet up with the rest of their friends and explain what was going on. Of course, Ryoko was still grumbling so Tenchi had to drag her by her clothes and pull her along like a balloon.

While on the way, Ichika thought to himself "What's going on? I thought Digimon only appear in cyberspace, so how is it that Saberdramon was able to enter the real world? Could this be what Mirei was talking about?" He decided to put this in the back burner for now and help Char lead Tenchi and his group to Nakano.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next chapter: Game On! The Case of the Buggy Mobile Game!**

 **A/n: Whew! Sorry it took us a long time to have this chapter finished. So hopefully, next chapter won't take too long. Anyway, that's it for the second anime filler arc. Next up is case number 2 where Ichika and the gang help a game programmer fix his buggy mobile game. So stay tuned for more updates.**


	17. Game On! The Buggy Mobile Game!

**A/N: Hello all, welcome to Chapter 17 which is the second case, but it's not a Nokia, Yuuko or Arata case. You see, in the game Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth, you have cases before the main ones that involve Nokia, Arata and Yuuko, so we're doing those cases that provide either lore or other stuff along with the anime filler arcs and regular filler arcs. So after this second case, it's on to the third anime filler arc with Hundred, Mew Mew Power and Shomin Sample. So here is Chapter 17 and hopefully, it won't take too long.**

 **Chapter 17: Game On! The Case of the Buggy Mobile Game!**

* * *

After Saberdramon was deleted and his rampage stopped in its tracks, Ichika and Char were heading back to Nakano to meet up with the rest of their friends. Luckily, they were able to arrive in time to stop the destruction of Shinjuku before anyone was seriously hurt. Once they've returned to the office, the rest of the Cyber Sleuths had already returned from saving people and are now resting.

"Whew, that sure was a close one." Klein sighed in relief. "I thought we weren't going to make it when that Digimon was flying around through the city, but I'm relieved we made it in time. That could've ended a lot worse if we didn't."

"Yeah, no kidding. That Digimon really caught us off guard when it showed up in the real world." Liz agrees with a serious nod. "I'm just glad no one was seriously hurt from all the damage that Digimon caused. I wonder if Ichika and Char already took care of it?" Everyone nodded before turning towards the door to see their friends back along with some newcomers.

"Well, we don't have to wonder anymore. They're already back." Houki smiled. "We're glad to see you two made it back safe and sound. We were worried that something might've happened to you two when we split up to save all the people. So were you two able to stop the Digimon before it could destroy Shinjuku?" She then noticed the newcomers with them. "And who are they with you? Did you save them from the Digimon as well?"

"Yeah, we've found them while we were fighting Saberdramon." Ichika answered her with a thumbs up. "But one of them thought that Birdramon was also with Saberdramon who attacked them before. Luckily, one of their other friends was able to convince her to stop attacking and let us deal with Saberdramon. So once he was deleted, we brought them here with us."

"I see, nice work in thinking ahead, my assistant." Kyoko smiled as she crossed her arms. "As a detective, you're required to think on your feet and even have to come up with a plan in an instant. So while you and Satoru still have a long way to go, I'm proud to know that you two are getting closer at being full-fledged detectives. So keep it up, you two. I've got faith in you boys." Both boys nodded and everyone smiled while the newcomers were confused.

"Excuse me, but what's going on here?" Tenchi asked in confusion. "Not to be rude or anything, but can you guys tell us what are you all talking about?"

"Oh right, sorry about that. We didn't properly explain ourselves yet." Satoru apologized. "From what Kyoko said, we're detectives and it's our job to solve cases requested by clients. We can solve any case you have for us and we can guarantee it'll be solved."

"Detectives, you say? Now that sounds really interesting." Washu said with a devious smirk and a glint in her eyes. "Perhaps I should examine you all and see just what makes you tick. I've heard that detectives can use their excellent brains to think their way out of situations that would be considered impossible. Mind if I experiment on you to see for myself?" Everyone got started by her and took a step back while Kyoko remained calm.

"I don't think that'll be even necessary." Kyoko answered her with a frown. "Being a detective doesn't always mean we have incredible minds, it's because we see things in a different perspective that most other people don't see. And plus, I doubt you'll come up with any results if you experiment on us. Not even the greatest minds can figure out how the human brain works and it'll always remain a mystery that's best left unsolved." Washu slumped in disappointment from her words while everyone breathe a sigh of relief. "But now that Saberdramon is dealt with, I believe it's time we celebrate for a job well done. I can make us some coffee to pose a toast."

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Everyone else screamed in terror except for Yui who is happy to drink more of Kyoko's coffee.

"Coffee, huh? That sounds good to me." Nami said with a smile. "After all the craziness today, I can definitely go for some coffee."

"Yeah, that does sound good." Tenchi agrees with a smile as well. "I'm always up for some coffee when I'm in town. So I can't wait to try yours." Kyoko nodded as she stands up from her desk and heads for the other room to make some coffee for everyone.

"Aw hell, here comes more of her coffee!" Ranma panicked. "It's already bad enough that we barely survived that coffee, but now they won't stand a chance! We've got to get them out of here before she comes back!"

"Hey, what are you guys so afraid of?" Ussop asked in confusion. "Are you saying that her coffee nearly killed you guys?" Everyone nodded in fear except for Yui. "And you guys called me a liar… There's no way her coffee's as deadly as you say."

"You don't understand, her coffee's not like anything you've seen!" Kirie waved her arms up and down in panic with the blank white dotted eyes expression. "It's something that's not even made from this Earth! You guys have got to get out of here while you still have the chance!"

"HA! So you chumps can stand up against that bird thing, but you're afraid of some coffee?" Ryoko mocked. "I can't believe it, you guys are just a bunch of wimps! So it was only just luck you were able to kill that bird!" That made Ichika and Char mad at Ryoko saying it was only luck that they've won against Saberdramon. But before anyone could speak up, Kyoko returns with a tray of coffee.

"Here it is, one of my specially made coffees." Kyoko said with a smile and closed eyes. "It's a recipe I've been working on and planning on selling once I complete it. It's called vinegar, pickled plum and red paste coffee. I hope you all enjoy it." The Straw Hats and Tenchi's group all looked at their cups as the coffee swirled around and gave off a strange aroma.

"Well, we did say that we'll try it… So here we go…" Tenchi gulped. "Bottoms up." Everyone took a sip of the coffee before placing their cups back on the plates.

"So how does it taste?" Kyoko asked hopefully. "Does it taste very good?" Before anyone could answer, they all fell on the floor with a loud crash and were foaming at the mouth, except for Luffy. "Hmm… looks like its back to the drawing board again. I thought I was closer than before, but even that flopped. Oh well, there's always next time to try out my new coffee recipes." Everyone looked at her and sweat dropped. Luffy, however, was enjoying the coffee while Yui got a cup and drank it happily.

"This coffee is really good, lady!" Luffy grinned as he drank it.

"Glad you liked it." Kyoko smiled in gratitude. "Looks like I have another fan of my coffee, but I won't rest until I perfected it."

"Holy… crap…" Ling muttered in shock.

* * *

Not long after recovering from the dreaded coffee, Ichika and the gang were riding on the bus heading for home while also introducing themselves to the newcomers. As the bus makes its way to the destination, the Straw Hats and Tenchi's group were still recovering from tasting Kyoko's coffee and nearly died, except for Luffy who enjoyed the coffee.

"Geez, just what the hell was that all about?!" Nami asked with a groan as she clutched her stomach. "I can't believe she was sadistic enough to add in vinegar, pickled plum and red paste into coffee! I can't believe we're still alive after tasting that stuff!"

"Sorry about that, she likes to mix in other ingredients into the coffee she makes." Satoru said with a sigh as he rubbed his temples. "She's planning on creating a coffee that she can sell to everyone once she finally perfects it. So while she's trying to perfect her coffee, we'll be the ones suffering through all the coffee she's giving to us as tests to the one she's creating."

"So that coffee she gave us was one of her prototypes for the coffee she's trying to make?" Tenchi asked with a gulp. "And if she does perfect it, she's going to sell it and have everyone else try it?"

"Yeah, that's what she plans to do once it's finally perfected." Satoru answered him with a nod. "So make sure you prepare yourself for her next coffee. Who knows what she'll add to it next time." Everyone nods in agreement as he turns to Luffy. "But there's one thing I don't understand… How was Luffy not affected by her coffee? I can understand Yui not being affected by it since she's not human, but Luffy is! So how the hell was he not foaming at the mouth?"

"That's the thing about Luffy, we're not even sure if he's human himself sometimes..." Nami answered him with a sigh. "There are times where he tends to run into situations without thinking or coming up with any kind of plan. He also likes to eat a lot and doesn't care if it tastes good or not, like how he did before when you guys were looking for him. But most of the time, he's not really the brightest bulb and we always have to tell him what's going on."

"So basically what you're saying is that he's an idiot?" Kirie asked with the dull expression. "And he's the kind of idiot that doesn't always think about the situation and is completely dense about everything around him?" The Straw Hats all nodded as Luffy wasn't paying attention and was looking out the window of the bus. Ichika and the IS girls sweat dropped because they knew one of their own is dense, but it's something they can't help. Ichika knows that feeling of being dense, so hopefully he will fix that by finding the courage of confessing his love for Char. "I guess that makes a lot of sense for everything that happened before Saberdramon decided to crash the party. Still, I'm relieved that no one was hurt and Saberdramon was dealt with before it got out of hand." Everyone nodded in agreement before turning to Ryoko and glared at her.

"Now what was that you were saying about us being wimps?" Noire asked with a sneer. "Sounds to me that you're the real wimp around here since you couldn't take the coffee after one sip. So now who's the chumps, chump?" Ryoko only responded by turning around and grumbling to herself as she already knew that she couldn't say anything. "Haha, that's what I thought. You're all bark and no bite, just like the spoiled child you are." That made Ryoko really pissed off as she tried to attack Noire, but was held back by her friends.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SPOILED CHILD, PIGTAILS?!" Ryoko yelled in anger. "You think that you can just call me that and get away with it?! I'll bet you're just about the same, but without any friends of your own!" Now Noire was pissed off about that as she tried to attack Ryoko, but was held back by her fellow CPUs.

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK RIGHT NOW!" Noire roared in fury "I'll have you know that I've got plenty of friends back home and they're all way nicer than you! So don't think that you know me!" Everyone knew she was lying because of her tsundere personality, but decided not to say a word about it as the arguing continued throughout the bus ride and all the other people looking at them.

* * *

Not long after dropping off Satoru and Twoerale at their destination, Ichika, the CPUs, Leafa, Yui, Pina, Ranma's group, the Straw Hats and Tenchi's group all arrived at the Orimura Residence and entered the front door. Upon entering the house, they've made their way to the living room where the Straw Hats were amazed by all the technology around the room.

"WHOA! This is just amazing!" Luffy beamed. "I can't believe you have all this incredible stuff, Ichika! So this is where you live?"

"Yeah, this is my house and where you'll all be staying." Ichika answered him with a smile. "Since you guys don't have a place to stay and it's too expensive to pay for a hotel, we've decided to let you all stay at my house. I've got plenty of room and it's mostly just me, so you guys are living with me. And it's a good thing I've bought some more sleeping bags for all of you, so you won't get cold."

"That's nice and all, but what about your parents?" Nico asked in concern. "Would they mind you inviting a couple of strangers you've only just met to live with you in your house?" That made Ichika stop in his tracks and clutched his fists. The CPUs were silent as they knew about what Ichika's parents did while Leafa, Yui and Pina were confused.

"I did had parents before, but they're no longer around…" Ichika answered her sadly. "They've abandoned me and my sister years ago, but I was still only a kid so I don't really remember much of them. But I know my sister hates them for abandoning us and I guess I do as well…" Both the Straw Hats and Tenchi's group all started to feel sorry for him and angry for his parents for abandoning him and his sister. Even Leafa, Yui and Pina feel sorry for Ichika and mad at his parents for abandoning him and his sister years ago.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was a sensitive subject…" Nico apologized as she lowered her head despondently a bit. "I had no idea that your parents were long gone and it was only just you and your sister. I hope you can forgive me for bringing up such a terrible memory."

"It's okay, I know you didn't mean to." Ichika said with a small smile. "It's been only me and my sister living here by ourselves for years, but we've managed to make ends meet. So there's no need to apologize, we've managed to keep ourselves going after everything we went though."

"But that still doesn't excuse your parents for abandoning you and your sister like that!" Ryoko growled in fury. "They just abandoned you two like you were nothing and left on their own damn accord?! If I see those no good bastards, I'll make them pay for abandoning you and your sister!"

"Thank you, but you don't need to do that." Ichika reassured her. "I know they deserved all the hate you're giving them, but there's no need to anymore. We've managed to live through all the hardships because my sister was an expert pilot and that helped us make it through our years. Plus I met my wonderful friends throughout my childhood and at school and just recently, Satoru, Twoearle and the others. So there's no need to make my parents pay." Ryoko calmed down a bit and nodded. Ichika then remembered something. "By the way, we've never got your names yet. After everything that happened today, it slipped my mind."

"That's okay, we were distracted by everything that happened as well." Tenchi smiled. "And since we're in your house, now's the perfect time to introduce ourselves." He clears his throat as he begins. "My name is Tenchi Masaki, nice to meet you, Ichika. And these are my friends whom I'm living with. Ryoko Hakubi, Ayeka Masaki Jurai, her little sister Sasami Masaki Jurai, Mihoshi Kuramitsu, Ryoko's mother Washu Hakubi, Kiyone Makibi and last but not least, Ryo-Ohki. We thank you for helping us back there with that bird who attacked us before." Everyone all nodded in agreement while Ryoko just pouted from remembering that time.

"No problem, I'm glad we made it in time to help you guys." Ichika smiled back as he gave them a thumbs up. "Now I know there's a lot of questions you guys all have, but let's save it for tomorrow. We can talk after school and when we head for Nakano, we'll answer as many questions that you might have." Everyone nodded as he takes out his Digivice and yells out "Realize!" to let Agumon out to stretch as both the Straw Hats and Tenchi's group were amazed.

"Ahhh… now that's more like it." Agumon said happily. "Nice to stretch after kicking Digimon butt and saving the day again. All in a day's work for the Cyber Sleuths."

"Yep, and now's the perfect time to rest." Ichika agrees with a smile. "From what Kyoko told us, she has something special to show us and wants all of us to see her. Maybe it's another case for us she wants us to solve?" Agumon shrugged his shoulders as everyone got into their sleeping bags while Ichika and Agumon went to his room and Leafa, Yui and Pina did the same.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

After dropping off Ichika, Leafa, Yui, Pina, the CPUs, Ranma's group, the Straw Hats and Tenchi's group at his house and Agil at his newly bought apartment, the IS girls, Kirito, Asuna, Liz, Silica, Phillia, Sinon, Klein, Kusanagi, Yukinari's group (except for Fukuyama) and Gen were dropped off by the monorail station leading to the IS Academy. As they boarded the monorail, they were now on their way to the academy grounds to rest up. Along the way, they decided to talk about how Saberdramon was able to enter the real world.

"Whew, that sure was one hell of a day." Kirie sighed in exhaustion. "I can't believe that Digimon was able to appear in the real world instead of us fighting it in cyberspace. How was it even able to come into the real world in the first place? Did someone or something brought him to the real world?"

"I don't know, but it could be a possibility…" Houki answered her as she crossed her arms and pondered this. "Could that be what Mirei mentioned before about this person having a powerful influence? If that's the case, then could other Digimon be entering the real world?"

"If it's possible for Saberdramon to enter into the real world, then other Digimon might as well." Kirito answered her with a serious frown. "I'd hate to see what other kind of damage some of the larger Digimon like Whamon might cause. We were lucky it was just Saberdramon and he's not that big, but we won't be lucky the next time. Something tells me we might see even more powerful Digimon down the line." Everyone nodded in agreement as they all arrived at the IS Academy and got off the monorail before heading for their rooms.

"You guys all go on ahead, I'll be taking Gen to see Maya-sensei." Laura said with a smile. "I'll ask her to have him enrolled here at the academy and have his own room. We'll continue this discussion tomorrow when everyone is together after school." Everyone nodded as they all headed for their rooms while Laura and Gen heads to meet with Maya.

* * *

In the facility room, Maya was working late to grade some papers from today's tests and was nearly finished with them. As she turns to drink her coffee, Laura and Gen enters the room and she turns to face them.

"Oh, Laura, I didn't expect to see you here tonight." Maya said with a smile. "I thought you might've gone back to your room and went to bed. Is there something I can help you with?" She then notices Gen with her. "And who's this boy with you? Is he a friend of yours?"

"You could say that, we've met him not too long ago." Laura answered her with a smile. "He was lost and doesn't have anywhere else to go. So I was wondering if you can enroll him here at the academy so he can live with us and he won't be alone anymore." Maya turns to Gen as he hides behind Laura's back to show he's really nervous.

"Of course, he can enroll here at the academy and we'll prepare a room for him." Maya said with closed eyes and a smile. "We'll also give him one of the male uniforms that Ichika, Satoru, Kirito, Klein and Yukinari all wear. We'll have everything ready for him by tomorrow while you're all in class." She turns to Gen. "By the way, what's your name, young man?"

"I-it's… G-Gen… My name is Gen…" Gen answered her with a stutter.

"Gen, that's a nice name. It's nice to meet you, Gen." Maya greeted, smiling again. "I'm Maya Tamada, I'll be your teacher tomorrow. I hope we can get along and be friends." Gen was still hiding behind Laura, but he still nodded. "Poor boy, you look like you've been through so much. Has he been mistreated very badly when you've met him?"

"Yes, he was mistreated very horribly and that's why he's nervous around people." Laura answered her with a nod. Deep down, she doesn't want to tell Maya about Gen an escapee from Phantom Task, but she and her friends will eventually tell her at some point or the other. "He and his friend managed to escape from the people who mistreated him, but they were separated and he found us. He's still getting used to us, so give him some time until he relaxes."

"I see, that makes a lot more sense now." Maya said with a nod. "I'll be sure to tell the others not to crowd him as he's a little fragile and is not used to new people yet. I'll have him enrolled tomorrow and he'll be attending the same classes as you and everyone." Both Laura and Gen bowed as they left the room and Maya got back to work.

* * *

Out in the hallway, Laura and Gen were heading for the dorms to turn in for the night. As they were about halfway to the rooms, Gen decided to break the ice by asking her something.

"Hey Laura, there's something I want to ask you." Gen said curiously. "What was your past like before coming here and meeting with Ichika and the others? Were you like a normal kid back?" Laura stopped in her tracks as she was hesitant to tell him about her past. "Laura, what's wrong? Did I say something that bothered you?"

"No, it's not that, Gen. It's just something else entirely..." Laura answered him with a sad sigh. "It's just that my past isn't really something you'd call normal and not really anything I'd like to talk about." But knowing that he asked her, she takes a deep breath and gathers her courage. "But I know you'll want to know, so here it is." Gen was silent as she began. "I'm not like everyone else, I wasn't born into this world. I'm a test-tube baby built to be a super soldier in Germany's research lab and went through the best military training. I was even given my own IS to help me further my training where I was taught by Ichika's sister Chifuyu. She was the best trainer I've had and I worshiped her to the point that I wanted her to keep on training me. But when I asked her what made her strong, she told me that it was her will to protect someone important to her and that was her strength."

"So what happened after she told you that?" Gen asked her out of pity. "Were you able to understand what she meant by that?"

"No, because none of my training has taught me about it and that's when things started going downhill." Laura answered him, sighing sadly again. "I was taught that fighting for someone made you weak and I wanted to take this person out from her life and she can go back to training me. So when I found out that it was her brother Ichika, I've decided to eliminate him because I thought he's the one who made her weak. So I arrived at the academy where I challenged Ichika to a duel where Chifuyu would return to Germany to train me more, but Cecilia and Ling took me on instead. One of the reasons I came to the IS Academy was because I thought her skills were being sullied by the students and staff who don't appreciate her and I should be the only one to train under her. Another reason was because I despised Ichika for making her forfeit the match that I thought she rightfully deserved to win."

"So what happened to Cecilia and Ling when they took on your challenge?" Gen asked again. "Was it really difficult to win because it was the two of them against you?"

"No, I easily defeated them and wondered how people like them possess 3rd Generation IS's." Laura answered him. "I've even commented on their countries that boasts of numbers but no talent and whose only redeeming quality is their ancient culture. But after a near death experience, I realized that his greatest strength is his freedom to choose and helping those around him and Chifuyu's advice, everything became clearer to me and I now see what made her strong. So now I'm one of his friends and I properly introduced myself without any ill will like before."

"That's good, I'm glad everything worked out in the end." Gen smiled. "I'm happy to know that you're not like how you were before and are much more friendlier." Laura smiled back and gave him a thumbs up. "By the way, there's something else I want to ask you. After you started being nicer to Ichika, were you also in love with him?" That made her blush madly and almost made her lose her composure.

"W-well… I s-suppose you could say that." Laura answered him with a stutter. "I did fall in love with him after he consoled me in sub space where I finally realized how special he really was. So I've decided to become his bodyguard to protect him from the other girls and made him my wife."

"Wait, you made him your wife?" Gen asked with a question mark. "Shouldn't that be the other way around since you're a girl and he's a guy?"

"Like I said, he was now my wife." Laura answered him proudly. "But it would seems that he has feelings for Char and I could tell that they've been growing closer than ever. So while I know he may choose Char, I'll support them through it all." She turns to Gen and smiles warmly at him. "And I also want to thank you for helping us against Whamon. I'm sure you'll be happy here, but be wary of tomorrow when you introduce yourself to my fellow classmates." Gen raised an eyebrow at what she meant before she leaves for her room while waving at him and he waved back.

"Heheh, so you having feelings for that Laura girl, partner?" Bearmon teased from the Digivice "I can tell you really like her." That made Gen now blushed madly from his teasing.

"W-what a-are y-y-you t-t-talking about, B-Bearmon?" Gen stammered. "I don't like her that much, just as a friend! It's not like anything you think!" Bearmon knew that he was lying, but Gen covers the Digivice with his hand to not let him hear him. "But maybe, I do like her a little." He started heading for the room he'll be sleeping in which was Yukinari's room and became his roommate as he goes to sleep for his first day at the IS Academy.

* * *

The next morning, light shines through the curtains in Ichika's room as it stretches towards his bed and shines on his face. The light started to wake Ichika up as he sits up on his bed and stretches his arms while yawning. He looks over to the side of his bed to see Agumon still sleeping as he nudges his partner's head to wake him up.

"Hey Agumon, wake up, sleepyhead." Ichika smiled/ "It's time for us to get up, it's morning. Time for us to get ready and head out to school." Agumon hears him as he wakes up and yawns as he turns to his partner and winks at him and he winks back. "Morning Agumon, nice to see you're up and about. So you ready for another day with everyone?"

"You know it, Boss. I'm always ready for anything." Agumon answered him with a happy tone. "So what kind of mission do you think Kyoko might have for us today?"

"Not sure, but she did say that she has something to show us after school." Ichika answered him as he added "She said it's something we need to know if we're going to get closer to Kamishino Enterprises. We'll just have to wait and see what she has planned for us today." Agumon nodded as they got up and Ichika gets himself ready for the day.

A few minutes later, Ichika had finished getting ready as he and Agumon headed downstairs to find Luffy, Chopper and Ussop siting on the couch and watching TV. They were watching an episode of Doctor Who, where the Doctor was helping Scrooge learn how to love Christmas or the space-time continuum will be destroyed.

"Hey guys, nice to see you three are enjoying yourselves." Ichika greeted with a smile and closed eyes. "I can see you guys are watching Doctor Who right now, huh?" The three Straw Hats all nodded as they continued watching the show as Ichika and Agumon joined them while waiting for breakfast to be made.

In the kitchen, Nepgear was showing Sanji how to use a modern day kitchen since he and his friends will be staying there and he'll also be doing the cooking for everyone.

"Okay Mr. Sanji, I'm going to show you how to use a stove." Nepgear explained. "You see the dials on the top with the numbers?" Sanji looked at the dials and nods. "That's how you can heat up food that you're going to cook for everyone. I know it's a little advance than what you're used to, but the main concept is still the same over the years."

"Damn, the things here used to cook food in this world are nothing like what I've seen before…" Sanji remarks as he struggles to keep up with Nepgear.

"It'll take a while for him to understand how to use a stove properly." Rom smiled as she watched them.

* * *

 **Back in the living room**

* * *

"So what do you guys think of our world so far?" Ichika asked with a smile. "Are you all enjoying the technology of my world?"

"You bet we are! This is just amazing!" Luffy replied happily while smiling "I'm really enjoying this moving picture box! It's almost like everything's alive in there! So what do you call this thing?"

"That is what known as a television or TV for short." Vert answered him as she walked up to them and smiled. "It's something that's been part of family homes for a long time and it's used to bring them together. You can watch all kinds of shows like Doctor Who that's playing right now." Vert's eyes then sparkled with delight. "But the best part of having a TV is playing video games on them and having either an Ethernet connection or Wi-Fi from the internet to compete in intense multiplayer competition." Ichika and Agumon sweat dropped while Luffy is interested in the things she called video games.

"Um… If you like, I have a PS4 underneath the TV stand." Ichika explained as he went to the TV stand and pointed to his PS4. He then kneed down and opened a drawer in the TV stand that showed a collection of PS4 games. "There's also some PS4 games. Most of them are RPGs and platformers like Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD and Ratchet and Clank: 2016. Since you're a gaming expert while I'm somewhat a gaming expert, Vert, you can teach Luffy and his friends how to play the PS4." Vert nodded in response while Luffy, Ussop and Chopper understand what he meant, but are still somewhat confused.

"I see, that does sound really interesting. We'll keep that in mind." Chopper smiled in response. "And thank you for giving us a place to stay, Ichika. We really appreciate you letting us stay in your house."

"No problem, I'm glad you're all comfy here." Ichika smiled as he told Chopper "But you might have to remain inside the house with your friends. I don't know how people would react to seeing a talking reindeer wearing clothes."

"Yeah, that would be a really big disaster for me." Chopper shudders as he tried not to think about what will happen if people see him. "I I don't even want to think about what would happen to me if the people here saw me. I might be captured and taken away to someplace far away!" Agumon walks over to him and pats his back with his claw.

"Hey, you don't have anything to worry about." Agumon reassured him with a smile. "I'm positive that won't happen to you because maybe the humans will accept you and us Digimon someday. Just you wait, me, Boss and our friends are going to make that happen." That helped Chopper cheer up as he nodded in agreement.

"Man, you two sure are closer than brothers." Ussop commented with a smile. "So do you two think that you can have the people of this world accept Chopper and the Digimon? Is that even possible to do?" Both Ichika and Agumon smiled and nodded in response to his question.

"I'm sure we can, you can count on it." Ichika answered as he gave him a thumbs up. "I know it won't be easy, but I know we can. Well, it's time for us to get going now. We'll be back to pick you guys up after school." He recalls Agumon back into his Digivice and heads off to school.

After they had left, Tenchi and his friends came into the living room and watched Ichika leave as he waves at them and they all waved back. Just then, Tenchi turns to the CPUs, Leafa and Yui.

"Hey, ladies, there's something I've been meaning to ask you yesterday." Tenchi asked. "So what kind of creature is Agumon? He looks like a small dinosaur, but he can talk much like us. So what is he?"

"From what they told us the other day, Agumon is what's known as a Digimon." Noire explains as she continued. "It's short for Digital Monsters and from our last battles with the evil ones, they've been mostly appearing in cyberspace. That is until Saberdramon appeared in the real world and started destroying everything."

"Digimon, eh? Now that does sound interesting…" Washu said with a glint in her eyes as she got out her laptop and began typing away while earning her scared looks from everyone in the household. "So what are these Digimon exactly? And where did they all originate from?"

"We're not really sure because there isn't much information about Digimon." Leafa responds to her. "But from what we do know about them so far, they're all like Ichika and the others, living and breathing creatures." Just then, she remembers what Ichika told them last night. "Oh yeah, there's something else that Ichika mentioned before last night…" She turns to the CPUs. "He mentioned that his parents abandoned him and his sister before. Is what he said really true?"

"I'm afraid it is all true, Leafa… He really did say that to us." Noire answered her sadly. "He explained to us how his parents abandoned him and his sister back when they were kids. It's also the reason why his sister never mentioned their parents because she now hates them because they've abandoned them and she had to raise Ichika by herself." Everyone couldn't help but feel sorry for Ichika while also most of them got angry at his parents.

"That's so sad, it must be really hard for him…" Yui commented while sadly looking down "I know he may be trying to act all happy, but deep down, he is sad about his parents abandoning them years ago…"

"Even so, I'll never forgive them for abandoning them like that!" Zoro angrily replies as he clenches his fists in anger. "Just what gives them the right to abandon their son and daughter like they weren't important to them?! If I ever find them, I'll make them pay the price for abandoning their children!"

"But there must be a reason why they've abandoned him and sister years ago!" Uyko interjects with a bit of hope. "I know what they did was unforgivable, but they must've had a reason to abandon them, right? Could we be looking at this the wrong way?" The rest of the Orimura household guests all went silent as they pondered Uyko's words. Just then, the silence was broken by Ryoko and Ayeka arguing again.

"Hey, just what the hell was that for, princess?!" Ryoko growled in anger. "Why did you just take that thing away from me while I was looking at it?!"

"Because you were just about to break it since you weren't careful!" Ayeka answered her with a scowl. "This is Ichika-san's home and we're guests of his! So you shouldn't be messing with his belongings or you might break them!" Both girls continued glaring at each other while everyone else just watched them.

"Geez, I can't believe those two are arguing like an old married couple." Neptune sweat dropped as she turned to Tenchi. "Hey Tenchi, does this happen to you often? Those two arguing like crazy?"

"Unfortunately, yes… This happens more times than we can count…" Tenchi responds with a sigh as they continued watching them argue throughout the morning.

* * *

At the IS Academy, Ichika had arrived to his classroom and enters as he sits down at his desk. As he gets himself ready for class to start, he noticed that some of the other girls were talking to each other about something and was wondering what they were talking about. So he leans over to his friends to asked them what was happening.

"Hey guys, I've noticed that everyone's talking about something." Ichika said out of curiosity. "So what's the surprise that has everyone so excited about? Is there a special occasion?"

"Not really, but something did happen just last night when we got back." Liz answered him with a smile. "Laura took Gen to see Maya-sensei and had him enrolled into the academy and I think he'll be rooming with Yukinari. So now we're just waiting for them to arrive after they've fitting him into his new uniform." Ichika nodded as everyone waited for them to arrive for class to start.

Ten minutes later, Maya enters the classroom and heads for center of the room as she turns to face her students and sets her papers on the stand before her as she clears her throat. "All right, you guys all know the drill by now. We got another new student joining us today, so I want all of you to treat him with respect." Everyone nodded as she turns to the door and gestures the new student to come in and introduce himself.

Gen opens the door and walks into the classroom while everyone watches him walk towards Maya. As he stands next to Maya, he turns around to face the other students and bows at them before noticing Laura and waving at her and she waves back. "Hello, my name is Gen. I just transferred to your school only yesterday and I'm still new at this. I hope we can get along." Ichika and his friends all smiled at him for introducing himself without much problems, but all the other girls were just staring at him. A few seconds later, they all jumped him and started crowding him.

"OH MY GOSH! He's just so adorable!" One girl squealed in excitement. "I never knew that a boy this adorable could exist in real life! I always thought they only existed in anime!"

"Hey, don't hog him all to yourself!" Another girl fumed. "I want to hold him too!"

"But I want to put him into my purse and carry him!" A third girl whined as they all continue to crowd Gen and everyone else watched him.

"Okay, now this is just getting ridiculous..." Cecilia face palmed. "Out of all the other boys coming into our school, Gen now has the worst of it. The girls are hugging him like he's a teddy bear and even wanting to put him in their purses. Should we try to protect him from the other girls now that he's with us?"

"We're going to have to from what's going on here." Houki answered her with a sigh. "He's still not used to other people yet, so we've better keep an extra close eye on him to make sure none of the girls crowd him like this. What do you think, Laura?" But Laura didn't answer her as she wasn't paying attention as she glared at the female students crowding Gen. "Laura, are you okay? Is something wrong?" Again, Laura didn't answer her as she jumps into the crowd of girls and pulls Gen out while holding onto him.

"Hey, don't you all dare crowd him like that!" Laura snapped. "He's terrified from all of you gathering around him! Don't you all see that?" She looks down at Gen who was shivering in fear as he held onto her for safety. "Don't scare him like that, he's not used to other people yet! If you think about scaring him like that again, then you'll all have to deal with me!" The female students, knowing Laura's strength and skills as a IS pilot nodded in fear as they backed off.

"Whoa, I can't believe Laura managed to get the students to back off." Kirie gasped in awe. She turns to Ichika and his friends. "How does she do that?"

"Before you guys came here, we're well known IS pilots at the IS Academy. So it takes some fame to keep the female student body in order. But when we saw Laura protecting Gen like that… You guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Tatenashi smirked, her friends smirked back as they knew that Laura and Gen may have feelings for each other.

* * *

After school has ended, Ichika and the gang headed for Nakano to meet with Kyoko after they've picked up Leafa, Yui, Pina, the CPUs, Ranma's group, the Straw Hats and Tencchi's group. Gen was finally able to calm down after being smothered by the other girls only to be saved by Laura and was kept safe until school ended for the day.

"Well, that sure was an eventful day." Liz muttered. "I didn't think those girls would go crazy for any more than they did, but I guess I was wrong. When they saw Gen, they just want gaga over him and started hugging him like a teddybear. I'm sure he's glad Laura got him away from them before it went out of control."

"You can say that again, that definitely came out of nowhere." Kirie agrees with a nod. "I knew the girls were a little boy crazy as they've shown with Kirito, Yukinari, Klein and Satoru, but that was just out of control. I really thought one of those girls was actually going to put him in her purse and carry him around." Her friends all nodded in agreement while Tenchi's group and the Straw Hats were confused.

"Hold on, let me see if I'm hearing this correctly." Nami said confusedly. "You're saying that these girls from where you all went to were going crazy for this kid here?" She points to Gen who was sitting with Laura as everyone nodded. "You make it sound like these girls haven't seen a boy in their lives!"

"Considering the school we go to only accepts girls and it's on a manmade island, then you'd be right." Asuna explained. "Most of the girls there haven't really seen a boy before, so they tend to be a little boy crazy at the first sight of one. That's why we said that the boys here all had to go through when we first arrived at the school. But they're all harmless and are just a little too excited to see a boy at their school."

"Well, those bimbos better not think of getting closer to Tenchi!" Ryoko growled. "If I see them even laying a hand on him, I'll be blasting them into next week!"

"You will do no such thing, Ryoko!" Ayeka snarled. "You are not allowed to be harming innocent humans while we're stuck in this world! Do you want Ichika to be blamed for your messes?! He'll be held accountable for your actions because you can't control your temper!" The two glared sparks at each other while everyone else sighed in annoyance.

"And they're at it again... Here I thought it was over before, but I guess that's just wishful thinking…" Noire sighed as she face palmed. "They've been doing that all morning back at Ichika's house because Ryoko was messing with his stuff. We had to break them up while they were trying to claw at each other." Her sister, fellow CPUs, Ranma's group, Tenchi's group and the Straw Hats all nodded in agreement as the arguments continued on towards Nakano.

* * *

Upon arriving at Nakano, our heroes made their way to the agency to meet with Kyoko. As they entered the office, they see Kyoko putting up two pieces of paper on the white board next to her desk. Once she was finished, she turns around to find Ichika and the gang had arrived.

"Ah… welcome back, everyone." Kyoko greeted with a smile. "I see that you've all arrived without much trouble. So how did Gen's first day at your school go? I take it that he was swamped by the girls there?"

"He was, but they all terrified him unintentionally." Asuna said with a sigh. "When he introduced himself to everyone, all the other girls crowed around him and he was so scared from them. I know they didn't mean to because of how excited they get from seeing a boy, but that was still enough to scare him and Laura had to step in to save him."

"I see, so he's still not used to other people yet." Kyoko nods in understanding. "Well, I suppose it can't really be helped. We're going to have to take it slow for him to get used to being around other people. It might take at least the rest of the year, but I'm sure he'll overcome this soon enough." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"So what was those papers you were putting up on the white board next to your desk?" Tatenashi asked in confusion. "You told us that you had something important to tell us today. Was that pieces of paper the reason you wanted to speak with us?"

"Correct, those two are the very reasons I wanted to speak with all of you." Kyoko answered her as she explained. "But before I do, I'm sure all your other friends are wondering why I called you back to the office today." Their otherworldly friends all nodded. "Well, as most of you already know, this is a detective agency. Most of you already have the general idea of what I'm about to say, but I'll give a brief rundown to those who don't understand yet." She clears her throat as she sits back on her chair. "This office is known as the Kuremi Detective Agency, where we solve all kinds of cases from disappearances to cybercrime. It's an agency that my father and aunt, Satoru's mother, started and worked together before their deaths. Now I'm trying to continue their work and I'm also teaching Satoru on being a detective like our parents."

"So what's the deal with those papers you placed on the white board?" Kirie asked her as she looked at the white board. "Are those part of the reason for telling us this?"

"That's right, those are requests from people around Tokyo." Kyoko answered her with a nod. "When we're not handling a big case like the one last week, we'll also be taking these smaller cases to gain not only extra money, but also recognition to stay in business. The more requests we take from people, the more our agency gets recognized throughout the country. Of course, this'll also help us learn more about Kamishino Enterprises and whatever it is they're planning. So be sure to take as many requests you can until we get our next big case." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Now then, why don't you check the white board? I've already placed two requests there and you need to pick which of them to take. As you help people with their requests, I'll be adding more as we go on. So which request will you pick?"

Ichika walks over to the white board to find two requests tacked onto the board. One was from Mirei and the other was from a Game Company Employee. He takes the tack off from the board and hands the paper to Kyoko.

"We'll take the one from the employee." Ichika told her. "This one seems the easiest to do, so we'll start off with this one."

"Perfect, this'll be your first request by someone other than me." Kyoko smiled in approval as she cleared her throat. "Now then, I'll give you a briefing of the request. An employee from a Game Company had just released a mobile game. But the problem is that there seems to be a bug in the game and he can't seem to fix it. So he requested us to find the problem and fix it before the company he works for fires him for this error. He'll be waiting for you in Shinjuku and the reward money he's offering is 1000 Yen. So will you all take this man's request?" Everyone nodded. "Understood, now this case has been officially open. Cyber Sleuths, start investigation!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Everyone said in unison and headed for Shinjuku to meet with their client.

* * *

A few minutes later, they've arrived at Shinjuku and started looking around for their client. Just then, they spotted someone at the other end of the district. He was a man in a brown suit, glasses, carrying a suitcase and was on the phone. Our heroes walked over to him as he was talking to someone on his cellphone.

"…Ye..yes, sorry! I should have verified it, yes…" The Employee stuttered before gasping. "Huh!? Tha'..that's…! …Understood. Goodbye…" He ends his call on his cellphone and turns around to find Ichika and the gang. "…You're late! How long did you expect me to wait!?"

"Sheesh, someone sure is friendly today..." Klein muttered. "We've just arrive here and all he does is complain about us being late? That's not how I expected our first customer to act."

"Don't mind him, he's just a little impatient." Ichika apologized as he cleared his throat and began talking to the Employee. "Anyway, sorry we're a little late. So who was that you were talking to on your phone?"

"That was the boss just now. He said that if I don't get this problem fixed, he'll give me the boot." The Employee answered him with a sigh. "But anyway, I assume you're all familiar with the case?" Everyone nodded. "I'm the head producer, and today is the release of a game app we created. When you progress in the game and get to the boss an error pops up and the game freezes!" He turns around and starts freaking out. "AHHHH! I'm going to get fired for this! I'm finished!"

"Sheesh, this guy really needs to take a chill pill." Uni muttered as she crossed her arms. "He's acting like his life is over if this game doesn't get fixed." He turns around to face them again.

"That's because my life will be over if I'm fired from this job!" The Employee wailed. "If this bug in the game continues, our company will go bankrupt and we'll all lose our jobs! But I suppose I wouldn't expect a child to understand on how our jobs are important to us and our families." Uni got angry before Nepgear calmed her down which she did. He turns to Ichika. "So…I suppose you're the Cyber Sleuth? The one who has been making the headlines by solving cases in cyberspace like foiling the attempted First National Bank robbery and attempted hacking of the IS Academy?" Ichika nodded. "Please I need you to fix this app for me ASAP!"

"Don't worry, I'm sure we can fix the app for you." Ichika said with a smile. "Let us come up with a plan to fix this app and we'll take it from there." Everyone thought about what to do, the employee turns around and starts freaking out again.

"AHHHHH! This is terrible! What am I gonna do?! What am I gonna do?!" The Employee cried hystically as everyone all sweat dropped at him before all huddling together.

"So how are we going to work this out?" Kirito asked in seriousness. "He does seem worried about losing his job if this game doesn't get fixed in time. So what can we do to help him fix that bug?"

"There's only the direct way to this this. We'll have to jump into his cellphone and deal with the problem directly." Satoru answered him while Tenchi's group was confused on what he meant. "Ichika, you'll have to use the Connect Jump on his cellphone and take us inside it. Once we're inside, we'll look around to find the problem of the app and fix it there." Ichika nodded as he faces the employee's cellphone and extends his hand to the phone until all of them were sent into the phone

* * *

 **A moment later inside the Digital Space**

* * *

"WHOA! This place is incredible!" Luffy gasped in awe as he and his friends and Tenchi's group looked around. "It's a lot different than where we first met! So where are we now?"

"We're inside the Digital Space, a highway of different electronics like a vending machine or the employee's cellphone." Satoru answered him. "Unlike Kowloon where we were last time, this one is its own area in cyberspace. This is where all kinds of electronics connect with each other, kind of like how rivers connect with each other to different lakes or oceans."

"But how is it that you were able to enter that man's phone?" Ayeka asked Ichika. "Do you have some kind of ability that allows you to enter his cellphone like that?"

"Believe me, I wish we could tell you but it's a really long story." Ichika answered her with a sigh. "All I can say that something happened to me a while back and I acquired this ability from that incident. I'll explain everything later after we're done with the investigation." Everyone nodded as they started their investigation through the Digital Space.

After going through several wrap terminals around the highway, they found themselves on a platform with a small, white blob Digimon playing the very game the employee wants them to fix.

"Hey, what's with the living cotton candy over there?" Ryoko asked in confusion. "And what's he doing? Playing a video game?"

"I think that's the game he wanted us to fix." Houki answered her as she looked at the white blob like Digimon. "That little Digimon must've been playing the game and got hooked onto it. But I don't think he knows that him playing the game has also caused it to freeze up and making the company lose money."

"So what are we going to do about the little guy?" Agil asked. "Should we try to talk him out of playing the game?"

"That's pretty much our best chance right now." Cecilia answered him with a nod. "If we don't ask him to stop playing the game, then the company loses money and all the employees would lose their jobs." They all waked over to the little Digimon who was too focused on the game to notice them.

"Yeah… Yeah…" The little Digimon grunted, but he lost to the boss. "Aww, I failed again! This boss is way too strong, I'll never beat him!"

"Excuse me, but we need you to stop playing that game." Ichika asked him politely. "You playing with it has caused the game to freeze and the employee would be in big trouble if this continues on." The little Digimon heard him and turned around.

"Eh, what? Did the game mess up because I was here?" The Digimon asked "…That employee hasn't been able to fix the game. He's in trouble, right?" Everyone nodded. "But I can't stop playing it! I'm totally hooked!"

"But everyone else also wants to play the game." Gen reasoned. "If you don't stop playing it now, then no one else can also enjoy it!"

"Oh, I get it. You guys are here to ruin my fun now, aren't ya?" The Digimon asked with a frown. "If that's what you really want, bring it on!"

"Wait! We don't have to do this!" Char reasoned, but Ichika raised his hand to stop her as he placed his Digivice over his eyes and scanned the Digimon.

"Poyomon. He's an Fresh level Digimon. …But he's a Fresh level Digimon and our Digimon are in the Rookie and Champion levels, so it isn't a fair fight." Ichika frowned.

"Oh, you think because I'm a Fresh level Digimon, you think it's unfair? I'll show you!" Poyomon countered by blowing acid bubbles at the gang's Digimon, but they dodged it.

"Sorry buddy, but we have a game to fix." Agumon charged in and slashed Poyomon, knocking him out and ending the fight. "Well that was easy." Agumon commented.

After the battle, Poyomon picks himself up and shakes his head as he turns to Ichika and the gang who were all watching the little guy as he turns to them.

"Aww…I lost the battle, too!" Poyomon whined. "And here I thought I was going to win this time!" He calms down and looks at the Cyber Sleuths. "What can you do, right? Okay, it's a promise. I'll beat the boss as soon as they fix the bug!" Everyone nodded as he starts floating away. "Ah, okay. Could you go talk to that employee for me? Tell him I said "Thanks for an amazing game." See ya!" He continues on his way until he was out from sight.

"You know, he didn't seem like a bad Digimon." Ling said with a small smile. "He's just like any normal kid excited for a new game and was so hooked on playing it. He was so into the game that he didn't realize that his presence was making the game freeze up."

"Yeah, but like any kid, he has to know when to stop playing." Houki said, smilling softly. "I'm sure he didn't mean to freeze up the game, but I don't think anyone else would believe so. Kinda makes us feel like we're the parents telling him to stop playing, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it really does, but someone has to do it." Ichika agrees with closed eyes and a smile. "Well, our work here is done. Let's head back to the real world and tell the employee that the game should be back up and running again. And hopefully he won't be too mad at us for leaving him like that." Everyone nodded as they all headed back to the real world.

* * *

Back in the real world, the employee was freaking out that the ones he requested were gone and nowhere to be found. As he was turns around, he sees them walking towards him and he wasn't too happy.

"You're late! How long did you expect me to wait!?" The Employee roared in fury.

"Guess he really is mad for us leaving him like that." Silica stuttered as she stepped back a little in fear. "I know it wasn't like we were cruel, but I feel bad for leaving him like that without any explanation." Everyone nodded as the employee was still ranting.

"Do you hear me!? If you worked here, you'd be fired!" The Employee snapped. "I'm in deep trouble, and you kids all just disappeared somewhere. You're all so cold! I've got half a mind to speak with your employer about this and—" He stops himself and looks at his cellphone. "…Huh?" It shows the game was running again like normal. "The game has been running and…it's still working! I beat the boss and I'm progressing further!" He rushes over to Ichika and shakes his hand rapidly. "…Thank you, thank you! I don't know how you managed to fix it, but thank you anyway! I will send over your fee on to your office! Phew, now I won't be fired!" He walks off feeling happy that the game's finally working again and he won't lose his job.

"Well, I believe our work here is done." Satoru smiled. "Let's head back to Nakano and close the case. We can tell Kyoko everything about what had happened." Everyone nodded in agreement as they all boarded a bus and headed back to Nakano Broadway.

* * *

 **Back at the Kuremi Detective Agency**

* * *

"I see, so you all managed to succeed in your first case." Kyoko smiled in approval. "Not bad, I expected no less from my assistants. Still, none of you are police detectives, so at times like this you should just do nothing. Well anyway, I'm glad to know that everything worked out in the end." She hands a stamp to Ichika. "Ichika, you know what to do." Ichika nods as he walks over to the whiteboard and stamps the paper of their case.

"Case closed." Ichika smiled.

"Perfect, that should be it for the day." Kyoko smiled back. "Why don't you all take the rest of the day off? You deserve it." Everyone nodded as they all decided to explore Nakano together.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

"So those inhabitants from the other worlds are coming to this world, eh?" Male #1 asked with a sneer. "I guess Master wasn't just whistling Dixie when he said there were some side effects to this project he's working on. So what do we do with them?"

"Let them be for now. They still haven't noticed of our master's plan just yet." Male #2 answered him calmly. "Still, it doesn't help to take some extra precautions for now. We'll send one of the experiments to deal with them and see exactly what they're made of."

"You mean send in one of the Death X prototypes out there?" Female asked in concern. "But you know how unstable and unpredictable they are. They're not even fully developed yet."

"Maybe so, but we still don't know when those humans would catch on to us." Male #2 said darkly. "Plus, it'll be the perfect end for the failure that escaped us last time. He won't survive what we have planned for him."

Our view turns to a tube that has what resembles Dorugamon, but is much more mechanical and has wires sticking out from its tail. Suddenly, the Dorugamon lookalike opens its eyes to reveal a red glow as everything goes black with only its eye glowing.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next chapter: The Cute Digimon Calumon and the DexDorugamon: Clear Dorumon's Name! Enter The Hundred Slayers!**

 **A/N: Uh oh. Who are those three mysterious figures who worked for this unknown Master? And who is the Digimon that looks like Dorugamon? And what do they plan to do with it? We'll find out next time. Also, me and Panther J have decided to do something new. We're planning on writing the Final Fantasy XV x Infinite Stratos X RWBY crossover called Final Fantasy XV: Dawn of Eos and write chapters for both Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth IS and Final Fantasy XV: Dawn of Eos. So expect the next chapter of Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth IS to come shortly after we write the first chapter of Final Fantasy XV: Dawn of Eos. See you next time!**


	18. Clear Dorumon's Name!

**A/N: Hey all. Sorry it took us a long time for us to upload this chapter. We wanted to do another story while doing this one, but we realized some of you are getting a bit impatient about this. So we would again like to apologize and give you the latest new chapter of Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth IS of 2018. And this is the third anime filler arc's first chapter. So, without further ado, here is Chapter 18.**

 **P.S: Also, we will have some of Panther J's OCs joining Ichika and the team in this third anime filler arc with some of them having their own Digimon partners. Another thing, Shomin Sample in this anime filler arc will be replaced by Koihime Musou (Anime version along with Panther J's OC for it). Also, some of them you know in previous chapters of this story. Enjoy!**

 **Final Notes: I noticed my review page for Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth IS is filled with requests and such, so I will go over them and address the reviewers by name and number.**

 **JaySonic1995: I appreciate your reviews, but I would like you to tone down on the requests. First off, please don't spam my review page for my and Panther J's story with requests about Sonic the Hedgehog appearing in this story or my previous completed story, MegaMan X IS. I don't want to sound rude or anything, but it creates stress for me. So please don't spam my review page for this story with requests. The list of crossovers for this story is decided by me and Panther J. Sonic the Hedgehog, however will appear in the final arc of the Director's Cut version of MegaMan X IS. So we will work on it one day after we're finished with Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth IS.**

 **Reviewer 84: I don't think that's how it works. Only girls and Ichika can pilot ISes. So Panther J comes up with the idea of having those who attend the IS Academy (Meaning the otherworlders who attend the IS Academy) wear control suits as mentioned in the previous chapters.**

 **Reviewer 83: Well we're back updating this story, but please don't spam my review page for this story with requested crossovers.**

 **Reviewer 82: I don't play the Persona series because it is M rated and I only play E to Teen games. And I allow my co-author and friend, Panther J to use OCs from M rated games like the Assassin's Creed series.**

 **Reviewer 80: Yeah, that's not gonna happen. We decided what crossovers to put in this story and Queen's Blade and Inuyasha will be in this story, and that's final.**

 **Reviewer 77: As I stated before on my fanfiction profile, I'm taking a break from Mew Mew Power crossovers and am adding Mew Mew Power to this story and possibly future IS crossover stories. I dunno when I will get back into writing Mew Mew Power crossovers, but we shall see.**

 **Other than that, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Chapter 18: The Cute Digimon and the DexDorugamon: Clear Dorumon's Name! Enter the Hundred Slayers!**

* * *

After completing their first case and closing it, Ichika and the gang decided to give their new friends a tour around Nakano to show what it has to offer. They explored all four floors of Nakano to see the shops, restaurants and people who work there and were all very friendly. Eventually, they decided to take a break at the K-Cafe on the 4th floor.

"I gotta say, this place sure has a lot of character." Tenchi smiled as he looked around and saw the happy faces on people hanging out in Nakano. "It may look like a simple shopping center, but it just has a certain charm that make it special. Not only that, but all the people who work here are friendly. It makes it feels relaxing in a way,"

"That's the best part about Nakano." Ling smiled. "It may look like your run of the mill shopping center, but after we've been here for the last couple of days, it now feels more a place where we can hang out. It has a special charm that you won't find anywhere else." Her friends all nodded in agreement as they had some tea and snacks.

"Speaking of which, there's something I've been meaning to ask you, Ichika-san." Ayeka began. "That ability you used to enter that business man's phone and fixed the game he was working on. How did you acquire such an ability like that? I've seen many abilities from our world, but never quite like the one you have. So how did you managed to gain such an incredible ability?" All otherworlders, save for the CPUs and Yukinari's group, all wondered the same thing as they turned their attention to Ichika.

"Well, I knew I was about to tell you sooner or later and future otherworlders who may end up in our world. So, I might as well tell you now." Ichika starts to answer with a sigh. "Well, that ability is known as Connect Jump. It allows me to enter any kind of electronic device that's connected to EDEN or the Digital Space we were in. But how I got this ability is something that was beyond my control." Satoru, Twoealre, the IS girls, the CPUs and Yukinari's group all knows what he's talking about.

"What do you mean by that?" Usopp asked confusedly.

"What I mean is that what you're all seeing isn't really my body. It's my half-cyber body." Ichika answered him with a small sigh. "My real body is in a coma because of the EDEN Syndrome. Now it's being held at the General Hospital along with the other victims of the EDEN Syndrome." Tenchi's group, Kirito's group, the Nermia Wrecking Crew and the Straw Hats all gasped in shock, except for Luffy who was confused and had question marks above his head.

"B-b-but how is that even possible?!" Sasami stammered in shock. "If your real body is in a coma, how come you're standing right in front of us all fine?!"

"We don't know for sure, but that's what we're still trying to figure out." Cecilia tells her with a serious frown. "But it's not just Ichika, but also several other EDEN Syndrome victims who were also in the hospital as well. Not only that, but we're also thinking of a way to take down Kamishino Enterprises from keeping this a secret from the public as well as doing shady business."

"But what's the EDEN Syndrome?" Lisbeth asked confusedly.

"From what we know, it's a mysterious illness that puts people in comas if they stay in EDEN for too long or other means. Kamishino Enterprises are claiming to look for a cure for the EDEN Syndrome victims, but after what we learned from the General Hospital a few weeks ago, I doubt that's the case." Twoearle frowned seriously.

"B-but h-how can we take down this Kamishino Enterprises?" Chopper gulped.

"In order to take down such a large company, we need to gather evidence against Kamishino Enterprises as well as finding a cure for Ichika and the other EDEN Syndrome victims." Satoru tells him as he pushes his glasses up. "It won't be easy, but if all of us work together, we can make it happen. That's what I believe in."

"Tch. Like hell that's going to work!" Ryoko scoffed rudely. "I say we should launch a full-frontal assault on Kamishino Enterprises and expose them for who they really are!"

"You simple minded barbarian! Even you of all people should know we can't endanger innocent lives!" Ayeka yelled as she glared at the space pirate. "If we just barge in there without any reason, we'll be the ones labeled as criminals! I, for one, don't want to be labeled as such with the likes of you!"

"What was that, you spoiled princess?! You calling me a simple minded barbarian?!" Ryoko snapped angrily as flames appeared around her. "The only one simple minded around here is you! With your so called "High Standards" and all that crap! It's no wonder you can't do anything for yourself!" That made Ayeka even madder as she and Ryoko tried to attack each other, but were held back by Sasami and Mihoshi.

Some time later, it was closing time as all of the shops and restaurants were closing for the day and all the employees and shoppers heading home. Even Kyoko closes up her office for the night as there were no other cases for today. Soon enough, Ichika and the gang arrived at the main entrance of Nakano to head for home.

"Okay, since tomorrow is Saturday and we have the weekend off from school, let's meet up." Ichika suggested with a smile. "We've got a lot to talk about, so we can talk then." Everyone nodded in agreement as they headed for the bus station to catch the last bus home. But as they did Dorumon suddenly tensed up for some reason and Satoru felt it.

"Hey Dorumon. What's wrong?" Satoru asked his partner in concern. "You seem tense all of a sudden."

"Well, I've got this really bad feeling that something's about to happen tomorrow." Dorumon explained to him seriously. "I suggest that you and your friends should prepare for what dangers that awaits us tomorrow."

"That sounds like a good idea, buddy." Satoru agrees with his partner before joining up with everyone else and head home for the night.

After dropping everyone else off at their destinations, Ichika, Leafa, Yui, Pina, the CPUs, the Nermia Wrecking Crew, Tenchi's group and the Straw Hats all made it back to the Orimura Residence and entered the house. Since they want to meet up tomorrow, they decided to go to bed early so that they can spend all day tomorrow and Sunday.

* * *

 **In Ichika's bedroom**

* * *

"Hey Boss, what are we going to do tomorrow?" Agumon asked as he hoped onto the bed. "You said that we've got a lot to talk about, so what are we going to talk about with those guys?"

"Mostly about what's been happening until now." Ichika answered him. "We need to bring them up to speed on what's been happening so far and answer whatever questions they might have. So, I'm sure they'll all be wondering what's really going and we've got tell them everything we know so far. But for now, let's get some sleep. We've got a big weekend on the way." Agumon nodded in agreement as they turned in for the night. But as they did, Ichika started having another vision. One that could test the friendship he and the others have with Satoru and Dorumon and see if their bond is strong enough to overcome it.

* * *

 **Meanwhile in another dimension**

* * *

Stationed in the vast ocean, lies the marine academy city ship known as Little Garden. A massive ship that trains students on using powerful battle suits known as the Hundred in an effort to fight off monsters known as the Savage. But as the Savage attacks has depleted, there's been a time of peace for the residents of Little Garden. However, today's the day where that peace ends and everything they knew will change forever.

In an alleyway of Little Garden, a small white Digimon was running down the pathway until it trips over and falls to the ground. The little Digimon looked behind him to see an even bigger Digimon coming down the same path and seems to be chasing it. The little one scampers into a cardboard box to hide as the larger one gets closer. The larger Digimon stops in its tracks as it seems to have lost its target and starts to look around while the little Digimon tries its hardest not to make a sound. Seeing as its target is gone, the larger Digimon turned around and walked down the alley in the opposite direction to search for its target. Once the coast was clear, the little Digimon comes out of its hiding spot and sees that its pursuer was gone.

"Whew… that sure was a close one. I thought I was a goner for sure." The little Digimon sighed in relief. "But why was he trying to attack me? All I wanted was to be his friend." As he continues on, a cat jumps down from a garage can and lands right in front of him. "Hi there. Nice to meet you. I'm Calumon. You want to be my friend?" The cat just hissed at him before jumping back onto the trash can and knocks over the lid that clangs on the floor. Unknown to Calumon, the noise has got the attention of the same Digimon that was chasing it and turned around to resume its pursuit.

As Calumon was about to continue on, disappointed in not making a new friend, his ears perked up as he heard someone or something coming up from behind. He turns around to see the same Digimon from before coming back for round two. Calumon started running as fast as his little feet can carry him with the other Digimon right on his tail until both of them reached the end of the alleyway. As they exited the alley, they jumped in front of a car that swerves to avoid them while almost crashing into another car on the streets. After that, Calumon continued running with the other Digimon right on his tail as all the people were watching the chase unfold.

* * *

 **Elsewhere**

* * *

At the main academy building aboard Little Garden, seven people were walking out from the front gate and walked down on the sidewalk and are unaware of what's happening several blocks away. After surviving countless battles against the Savage (and women fighting over him), Hayato Kisaragi and Emilia Hermit confessed their feelings for each other and officially became a couple. But not long after that, the rest of their friends all discovered that Emilie was a girl all along and the Queen of Little Garden Claire Harvey founded out and lashed out by blasting them with her Hundred cannon. Today, Hayato, Emilia, Claire and the rest of their friends (Libby Steinberg, Erica Candle, Fritz Granz and Reitia Saintemillion) were all heading to the hospital to meet with Hayato's younger sister Karen Kisaragi. But what none of them know, is that their peaceful days are about to come to an end.

"I gotta say, you sure know how to survive a blast from the President herself, Hayato." Fritz joked as he nudged Hayato. "Not that it shouldn't come as a surprise since you survived a Savage attack all those years ago. You must be one lucky guy."

"I don't even know that's a good thing or a bad thing." Hayato sighed. "I just feel like me and Emilia barely escaped from that in time. Sometimes I wonder if my luck's just getting me more into trouble."

"Hey, it can't be all that bad. So maybe you have some bad luck from time to time." Reitia smiled. "But you always manage to bounce back and come back better than ever. So, there's no way something like that was going to kill you so easily!"

"I guess, but it was still only luck that we survived that." Hayato said with eyes closed and a smile. "I was just fast enough to put up my shield in time, but that still didn't stop Claire from going ballistic. I thought we were dead for sure." Everyone all turned to Claire who was looking away while whistling, even though she knew that she was at fault.

"Hey! You can't blame President Claire for something like that!" Libby countered. "It was just a sudden reaction that she lashed out like that!"

"That's right! She's not to blame for this!" Erica agrees with a nod. "That was just a reflex on her part! You can't just place the blame onto someone—"

"That's enough, you two. You don't need to push this any further." Claire stopped them with a sigh. "I was at fault for lashing out like that and not hearing their side of the story. If had I did, I wouldn't have tried to blast them with my rifle. So, there's no need for you two to continue denying my actions." Both Libby and Erica were shocked to see her take the fall, despite her position as the Student Council President and Queen. Even the others were surprised to see this side of her as they continued on towards the hospital.

* * *

 **Later**

* * *

After an hour of walking, they finally arrived at the hospital where Hayato's sister is being treated. Upon entering the lobby, they asked one of the nurses about the room where Karen is in. One nurse in particular heard them and walks over to see if she can help. As soon as she approaches, Hayato's group turns around and recognized her.

"Miharu!" Everyone gasped.

"Hello, everyone. It's nice to see all of you again." Miharu smiled as she walked up to them. "I take it you're all hear to see Karen, right?" Everyone nodded. "Perfect, I'll take you to her now. Right this way, please." Everyone followed her down the hall and into the elevator as she presses the 11th floor button.

But just as the elevator doors closed, Calumon comes running into the lobby after managing to escape the other Digimon that was chasing him. He spots the second elevator opening as he runs towards it and slides right in just before the doors closed. He jumps up to hit the 11th floor button and the elevator started moving up.

"That was a close one… Hopefully I lost him this time…" Calumon wheezed. "I'm glad I made it to this place. I sure hope he won't find me here." But he was wrong as the same Digimon saw him enter the elevator, but he couldn't make it in time. So the Digimon decided to climb up the building next to the hospital and burst through as soon as he sees Calumon.

* * *

 **With Hayato's group**

* * *

Upon arriving on the 11th floor, the elevator doors opens to let Hayato and his friends step out into the hallway. After that, Miharu leads everyone down the hall to Karen's room just around the corner.

"I hope you don't mind, but someone else is also here to see Karen as well." Miharu smiled. "I thought to let all of you know beforehand so that you won't be too surprised." Everyone nodded in agreement as they didn't mind at all and she nods back while leading them around the corner.

Back at the elevators, the second elevator opens its doors as Calumon jumps out and into the hallway. He looks around in awe at the massive hallway before him until he sees Hayato's group, not that he knew, rounding a corner and runs down the hall to follow them. As he reaches the corner, he spots Hayato's group entering a room and runs after them before sliding across the floor and into the room just before the door closed.

* * *

 **Karen Kisaragi's hospital room**

* * *

After Miharu closes the door, Hayato and his friends enters the room where Karen's being treated as part of a condition for Hayato to come to Little Garden. As they rounded the corner, not only there was Karen herself but someone else with familiar pink colored hair next to Karen's bed. Both girls turned around to see Hayato and the others while they were shocked to see the pink haired girl.

"Sakura?!" Everyone gasped in surprise.

"Hey there, everybody! Surprised to see me?" Sakura greeted.

"Yeah, we are! What are you doing here?" Emilia asked with a happy nod. "I thought you went on tour for a couple of months!"

"There was a last minute chance, so I had to cancel my tour." Sakura answered her with a smile. "So, since I had nothing else to do, I came back here to Little Garden and see how all of you were doing." Fritz leans over to Miharu while everyone continues talking with her.

"So, Sakura was the person you mentioned before, Miharu?" Fritz asked.

"Yes, that's right. She came by here just two hours ago." Miharu answered her. "So since she knew all of you, I thought you all might want to know ahead." Fritz nodded as he and Miharu watched their friends all speak with each other.

* * *

After making it through the closing door, Calumon walks into the room where he spots Hayato's group all talking with each other but don't seem to noticed him. He looks around until he sees a lone chair against the wall on the other side of the room. He runs across the room until he reaches the chair and climbs onto the seat cushion, but suddenly lost his grip and hung onto the edge. But with his weight, the chair tips over and crashes onto the floor as the loud noise chases everyone's attention.

"What was that?! Is someone else here?" Libby gasped in shock as everyone looked around to see where the noise came from. Then they heard groaning as they all looked down to see Calumon rubbing his head from the fall.

"Ow… that really hurt…" Calumon moaned. "Why did that thing had to tip over on me…? I was only trying to climb up…" Everyone just stared at him as he picks himself up and dusts himself off before turning his attention to them and smiles. "Oh, hi there. My name is Calumon. Do you all want to be friends with me?"

"What the…?" Hayato asked with arched eyebrows.

"What is that thing? Some kind of stuffed animal?" Reitia asked in awe.

"A stuffed animal that can talk? Did someone lose their toy?" Emilia asked as she looked at Calumon with an amazed look.

"I don't know. There hasn't be any reports of missing toys." Miharu answered her with a frown. "I'll call the front desk and find out if any other patients had lost a toy." She picks up the phone and calls the front desk while everyone else were still looking at Calumon while he just continues to smile at them.

Unknown to any of them, the same Digimon from before was watching from another building right next to the hospital and sees Calumon through the window. Seeing as the only way to reach its prey was to jump, the Digimon decided to take a couple steps back in order to get a running start. Once it was far enough, the Digimon started running towards the edge of the building before making a big jump just before reaching the ledge. Once airborne, the Digimon spreads its wings to glide across the gap to the window of the hospital. But as it reaches the window, Calumon saw it coming as it bursts through the wall and lands right in the same room with everyone still reeling from the impact.

"Wh-What the hell is that thing?!" Fritz gasped as they see the Digimon glaring at them.

"O-Oh no! You got to save me from that bad Digimon!" Calumon panicked as he hopped into Emillia's arms. Hayato and his group looked at Calumon with confused looks.

"Digi…mon? What are those?" Erica asked confusedly.

"I'm one too. Digimon are short for Digital Monsters." Calumon explained.

"Well, whatever the case. We can't let this thing hurt you." Hayato frowned as he and his friends readied their Hundreds as the Digimon flew to the ground. The Hundred Squad chased after it as they faced the Digimon.

"I bet it's like any other Savage. So, this will be a piece of cake." Claire smirked as she fired her rifle at the Digimon, but upon the hit, it fizzled out, making her recoil in surprise. "I-I don't believe this! It didn't work?!" Claire gawked.

"President! Let me try!" Liddy yelled as she used her lance to try to pierce it, but the Digimon noticed her and lashed its tail at her, knocking her back a little.

Erica lashed her Hundred yo-yo at the Digimon, but the Digimon flew away from it.

"Oh man! This Digi…Whatever it's called is tough!" Retia gawked as she charged at the Digimon and tried to inflict combo damage on it but it did no effect.

"That hasn't stopped us! We'll tear through this thing and stop him from attacking the poor creature!" Hayato yelled in anger (Creature he was referring to was Calumon) as he charged towards the Digimon. Suddenly, there was an earthquake. "H-Huh?!"

"W-What's going on?!" Liddy gawked as she and her friends including Calumon felt the tremor. "Why is there an earthquake in the middle of the ocean?!" Suddenly, there was a bright light that engulfed Hayato, his friends, Calumon and the mysterious Digimon. When it cleared, Miharu noticed they were gone.

"W-What on earth?" Miharu muttered in shock. Suddenly, Karen started to wake up.

"Mngh… Miss Miharu? Where is Hayato?" She asked wearily.

* * *

 **(Back in Ichika's world…)**

* * *

Ichika gasped as he shot up from his bed with heavy panting. He already knows he is in his room safe and sound. But still, the vision he had still bothers him. In his vision, he saw a Digimon that looks like Dorugamon. But he knows for a fact that Dorumon's Champion form would never do that.

"Boss! What's wrong?! Is it another vision?!" Agumon gasped as he looked at his friend and partner.

"Yeah. But Agumon, I want you to remain calm and listen to what I have to say. In my vision, I saw another Digimon attacking some people in their own world. But the weird thing is, this Digimon looks like Dorugamon, but only like it is made of machine." Ichika told him seriously.

"W-What?! Why would Dorumon do that?!" Agumon gawked.

"Agumon, let's not jump to conclusions. We both know for a fact that Satoru and Dorumon has helped us out when we first met them. So, if I have to guess, it must be a Digimon masquerading as Dorugamon. I know Dorumon wouldn't do something like that." Ichika calmed his partner and friend down.

Agumon was silent for a moment until he smiled slightly and agreed with Ichika. "You're right, Boss. Sorry for jumping the gun as the saying goes. So, when those new visitors arrived in your world tomorrow, I say we help them and track down that faker who is framing our friend! But we need to tell Satoru about this tomorrow." Agumon suggested.

"Yeah. That way, our friends won't get the wrong idea. But in my vision, there were something interesting about that world." Ichika scratched his chin in thought.

"And what's that?" Agumon asked him.

"In that world, the people I saw in my vision used something similar to the IS. But we need to ask them that when we find them. And there's also another thing." Agumon paid attention. "The Dorugamon lookalike was attacking a small white Digimon called Calumon. Agumon, have you heard of a Digimon called Calumon?" Ichika asked him.

"…Nope, never heard of a Digimon like that." Agumon shook his head no.

"Huh… Then it's a mystery Digimon?" Ichika wondered as he looked at his clock and it said 2:50 AM. "Holy crap, it's that time already? Well, we need to rest up and tell Satoru about what I saw in my vision. Looks like we got another case in our hands, buddy." Agumon nodded in agreement as both of them went to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Ichika and Agumon had woken up and headed downstairs to meet up with their guests and let them know of the vision Ichika just had. Once arriving in the living room, there was all their guests that were living with them for the time being until they find a way to send them back home. Soon enough, everyone all turned to see Ichika and Agumon entering the room as Neptune greets them.

"Well, look who finally decided to wake up and come down from his throne room to grace us with his presence." Neptune joked. "His royal highness and our gracious host Ichika Orimura. So, what do us lowly peasants deserve to be graced with your presence?" Everyone sweats dropped at her except for Luffy who has a question mark above his head again while Noire walks up behind her and whacks her on the head. "Owies!"

"Sorry about that, Ichika. She just likes to do whatever the hell she wants." Noire sighed. "So, if she ever does anything stupid again, just let me know. I'll be sure to put her on a short leash just in case."

"Oh boo..." Neptune pouted.

"It's all right, Noire. That won't be necessary." Ichika smiled nervously. "I was just surprised that she announced me like that. I can tell she was just having some fun, so you don't need to go that far."

"Well, alright. If you say so." Noire nodded in reluctantly.

"Hey, Boss. Aren't you going to tell them about the vision you had last night?" Agumon asked.

"Oh yeah, that's right. I almost forgot about that." Ichika remembered.

"A vision? You had another vision last night, Ichika?" Vert asked.

"Yeah, I had another vision last night." Ichika answered her with a serious frown. "But this one was more intense than the ones I had with all of you before. But before I continue on, I want to tell all of you something."

"And what would that be, kid?" Ryoko asked as she crossed her arms.

"Now I don't want anyone to jump to conclusions, but I saw what looked like Dorumon's Champion form Dorugamon attacking these people and a small unknown Digimon from the same world I saw in my vision." Ichika answered as everyone gasped in shock. "Now I know it sounds like he betrayed us, but I can assure you all that it's not like what you think. I'm sure there's a reason behind all this."

"And exactly what other reason could there be?!" Nami asked with a frown. "It's clear that little punk was no good from the very start! He was just hiding his true colors from us this whole time!"

"Now hold on just a minute there! You don't even know the first thing about Dorumon!" Leafa retorted. "We may not have known him for very long, but enough to know that he would never do such a thing!"

"That's right, Dorumon would never do that! He's innocent!" Ram agrees with a angry frown as she and Rom glared at the three.

"Yeah! Very innocent!" Rom also agrees.

"Yeah, right. That's just what he wants you to think." Nabiki sneered. "He's been playing the innocent little dragon because he looks cute! But that's been his game all this time! So, I say we take him to the government to be dissected and we can collect a big reward!"

"How can you think of money at a time like this?!" Uni asked with a snarl. "And just what's going on in those brains of yours?! How can Dorumon go to that world Ichika saw in his vision and back? There's no way he couldn't done so!"

"That's just what he wants us to think!" Kuno countered. "He's just making us think that he's our ally, but it's just a ploy in hiding his true intentions! So, we must deal with this malicious fiend before he springs his trap against us!"

"Not you too, Kuno! I can't believe you of all people would be this stupid!" Ranma snapped. "I knew you were an idiot, but I didn't think you were that stupid! How would he attack that world without his partner knowing about it? It doesn't make any sense!"

Everyone kept on arguing back and forth about Dorumon attacking the world and the people Ichika saw in his vision, but no one was getting anywhere fast. But while the others are arguing, Ichika and Agumon took this opportunity to sneak out of the room for him to call Satoru and tell him about the situation.

* * *

 **Kuremi Residence**

* * *

After waking up, Satoru, Twoearle and Dorumon were having some breakfast before heading out to meet up with their friends. But while they're eating, Satoru's Digivice rings and he goes to answer it.

"Hello?" Satoru asked. "Ichika? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Listen, there's something I need to tell you." Ichika answered him seriously.

"Okay, what is it?" Satoru asked confusedly.

"I had another vision last night, so that means we'll be getting more visitors to our world." Ichika answered him seriously as he continued "But in my vision, I saw two new Digimon in that world as well. One of them looked like Dorumon's Champion form Dorugamon attacking these people and a little Digimon."

"What?! How is that even possible?!" Satoru shouted in disbelief as he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Dorumon would never do that!"

"I know, but Nami, Nabiki and Kuno don't seem to believe that." Ichika agreed as he continued. "They think he's been evil all this time and want get rid of him. So, we're going to find out the real reason why this Digimon that looks like Dorugamon attacked that world. So, I wanted to warn you about that before it gets out of hand later. And don't you worry, we know that he's innocent."

"Well, thanks for letting me know, Ichika." Satoru nodded. "We'll be careful when we meet up later. See you then." He ends the call with Ichika and turns his attention to Dorumon and Twoearle who heard everything. "So how much did you two hear?"

"Just enough. I can't believe that those three idiots think that Dorumon would attack another world like that!" Twoearle fumed. "There's no way he could've done that without us knowing! It just doesn't make any sense!"

"Ichika believes that too, but those three are too stubborn to listen." Satoru agrees with a frown. "But I'm also not going to sit around and let them blame Dorumon like this!"

"So what are we going to do, Satoru?" Dorumon asked in concern. "How can we change their minds of me attacking the world in Ichika's vision?"

"Simple, we're going into Kowloon and find that Digimon ourselves." Satoru answered him as Twoearle and Dorumon gasped in shock. "If those three won't listen to reason, then there's only one way to convince them. So we're going to find that Digimon and clear your name. I'm not about to lose you just from some imposter." Dorumon nods in agreement as he jumps off from his chair and they headed for Satoru's room.

"Hey! Where are you two going?" Twoearle asked in concern.

"We're heading into Kowloon to find those people and the Digimon that attacked them." Satoru answered her. "If it's the same as all the others, then that's where they'll end up." He then turns to Twoearle. "But I'm sure that Ichika and the others will be wondering what we're doing, so if anything comes up, let them know."

"Okay, I'll let them know when we meet up at Nakano later." Twoearle said with a smile. "I'll make sure they know that you and Dorumon are on a mission to find the Digimon and clear his name." She then hugs him, causing him to blush lightly. "Just make sure you and Dorumon come back safe and sound."

He then smiles and returns the hug. "We will. And we'll make sure that nothing bad happens." He and Dorumon enters his room and turns on his computer while Dorumon returns into his Digivice. Six screens lights up on his face and shines on his glasses as he enters his EDEN Password and enters into Kowloon. At the same time, Twoearle gets dressed and heads for Nakano.

* * *

 **Back at the Orimura Residence**

* * *

After ending his call with Satoru, Ichika and Agumon returns to the living room where their guests had stopped arguing for now, but there was still some tension between them as three of them still thinks that Dorumon's the culprit while everyone else knows that's not true and he's innocent. The CPU's noticed them and walked over to them.

"So, I'm guessing they're still arguing about Dorumon?" Ichika asked in concern.

"Yep, they're still at it about him." Noire answered him with a frown. "They've been at it for ten minutes now, only to finally shut up. So, what were you doing while they were arguing?"

"I made a call to Satoru, Twoearle and Dorumon and told them about the situation." Ichika answered her. "I'm sure that Saotru was upset about Nami, Nabiki and Kuno all thinking that Dorumon's the culprit, but I told him not to worry and that we'll figure something out when we meet up at Nakano later." The CPUs and Agumon all nodded in agreement as they turned to everyone else as they did the same.

"Hey, Ichika. There you are." Leafa said with a smile. "We were wondering where you went while we were arguing about Dorumon."

"Sorry, but I had to take care of something first." Ichika said as he crossed his arms. "It's something we might do later, but I'll tell you when we meet up with everyone else at Nakano later." Leafa nods in agreement while Tenchi walks up to him.

"Hey, Ichika, there's been something I wanted to ask you since you told us about your half-cyber body." Tenchi said curiously.

"And what's that?" Ichika asked.

"How did you even get that body to begin with?" Tenchi asked back "It doesn't seem like anyone can have that kind of body real easily. So how did your body become like this?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story, but I can say that it was an experience I'll never forget." Ichika answered him with a sigh. "It happened back when I was meeting some friends in person for the first time. But while we were getting to know each other, something unexpected happened to us and that's how I got my half-cyber body."

"I've heard a lot of Devil Fruit eaters gaining abilities from eating their respected fruits, but never something like this." Zoro muttered. "A lot of pirates would kill to have the kind of ability you have thanks to your half-cyber body. Though I must admit, it's really something special if you can use it to enter that EDEN place." Everyone save for the CPUs all nodded in agreement while Washu had a glint in her eyes.

"Then how about I experiment on you to see how your half-cyber body works, Ichika?" Washu asked with a scary devious look. "I want to see for myself just how exactly it functions and how a human can last in this state! I must see for myself! For science!" She approaches Ichika with the same glint she had from before as he starts to back away before running away from her.

Blanc leans over to Sasami and asked "Is she always like this?"

"Sadly, yes." Sasami sighed wearily. "She also does this to Tenchi and it involves her in a Nurse's outfit that Tenchi doesn't want to talk about.

"…Seriously?" Blanc has the annoyed look on her face.

* * *

Later in the day, Ichika and his house guests catched the next bus to Nakano and meet up with everyone else. As they hopped on the bus, there was the rest of the gang siting in the back row of the bus as Ling waves at them to join them and they did. Once they were on and took their seats, the bus drives off to Nakano Broadway.

"Hey, guys. Nice of you to join us." Ling greeted with a smile. "Looks like we all had the right idea of getting on this bus today."

"Yeah, we sure did. And at the same time no less." Ichika agrees with a smile before frowning seriously. "But I'm afraid that we've got something else to worry about today."

"What do you mean, Ichika?" Kirito asked in confusion.

"Well, I just had another vision last night and it was something interesting with this one." Ichika answered.

"How so?" Cecilia asked, curious about it.

"Well, what I saw looked like a massive ship where people are actually living on it." Ichika answered her. "There were some stores, restaurants and even a hospital on the ship. But the biggest shocker is that there's a school where it trains students to use these things that are similar to the IS we use." That made Houki, Char, Ling, Laura, Cecilia and the Sarashiki Sisters all gasped in shock.

"WHAT?!" The IS girls all shouted in shock.

"How can that even be possible?!" Cecilia gawked. "I thought that the IS we used were the only ones of its kind! How can there be something similar to the IS in that world you saw?"

"I'm not to sure myself, but I'm sure there's a good reason for that." Ichika answered her. "So as soon as we arrive at Nakano, we'll need to explain to Kyoko about the situation and head into EDEN to find the people from my vision." Everyone nodded as he continues. "But I'm afraid that's not the only reason about the situation…"

"Hold on, you mean there's more?" Klein asked with raised eyebrows. "So what else could there be aside from the guys you saw in your vision?"

"Yeah, but I'm afraid that it's something that you won't believe." Ichika answered him with a serious frown again. "In my vision, I also saw a Digimon in that world attack the people much like how Saberdramon and Whamon did before with Tenchi's group and Luffy's crew." Said groups both nodded in agreement while Nami was still elsewhere. "But that's not the concerning part. The real concern is that the Digimon looks like Dorumon's Champion form, Dorugamon!" That made everyone gasp at the same time.

"WHAT?!" Everyone gasped in shock that got the other passengers' attention.

"You gotta be pulling our leg, right?" Agil asked with wide eyes. "Why would our little dragon friend be attacking another world? There's no way in hell that's true!"

"I know, I couldn't believe it myself, but that's what I saw in my vision." Ichika said as he continued. "But I also believe that Dorumon would never do such a thing. So, there's gotta be a reason why this Dorugamon imposter is framing our friend."

"If you believe that Dorumon's innocent, then so do we." Char said with a smile. "There's no possible way that Dorumon would ever attack another world, it's not in his nature. So, we'll find a way to prove his innocence and put a stop to the imposter." The IS girls and the rest of the otherworlders all nodded in agreement. Except for Nami, Nabiki and Kuno who all scoff at the idea.

"Oh please, like you guys would even believe that purple pipsqueak." Nami frowned. "It's obvious that little runt's the real culprit, but all of you are just too stupid to even realize it. The punk's been using us this entire time and only now he's shown his true colors!"

"And besides, why would we trust something you don't even know the first thing about?" Nabiki asked with a sneer. "For all we know, the little creep's just been pretending to be our friend just so he can get closer to us and learn all of our secrets. So I'd say we catch the little bugger and turn him to get a huge reward!" Her eyes were then covered with Yen signs.

"They say in Europe, dragons are known as evil creatures who attack without warning." Kuno agreed. "So it wouldn't come as a surprise that he decided to channel his instincts of a dragon to attack that other world without our knowledge! But seeing as he made an error in his plans, now he's just trying to mislead us by making us believe there is another one like him! However, I can see through his deception and won't be fooled by his words again!" But he, Nami and Nabiki ending up shutting up as Houki, Ling and Laura all glared at them for thinking their friend would do such a thing.

"Well, I for one believe that it's one less little monster to worry about—YOWWWWW!" Fukuyama was about to remark, only for Kirie to stomp on his foot and makes him whine in pain.

"That should be enough out of the peanut gallery." Kirie sighed. "Seriously, just what makes all of you jerks think that the little guy's even capable of attacking another world? And for what reason why he would have?" Nami, Nabiki and Kuno tried to think of an excuse, but couldn't think of any while Fukuyama rubs his foot. "Sorry about that, Ichika. I hope they weren't being too rude to you." Houki, Ling and Laura all nodded in agreement.

"It's all right, thanks for helping out." Ichika smiled as he continued. "But seeing as if they don't believe us, we'll have to find that Digimon and clear Dorumon's name." Everyone else all nodded in agreement while Nami, Nabiki and Kuno all just scoffed again until Ichika remembers something else. "Hold on, there was something else I saw in my vision."

"What was it this time, Ichika." Vert asked.

"I saw a little Digimon that the Dorugamon lookalike was chasing around." Ichika explained. "I'm not sure why the little guy was being chased, but it looked like that other Digimon was after it for some reason." He then turns to the IS girls. "Houki, can you and the others take out your Digivices? I need to ask your partners if they've ever heard of this Digimon." The IS girls all nodded as they brought out their Digivices and their Digimon partners appears on the screens.

"You wanted to speak with us, Ichika-san?" Biyomon asked.

"Yeah, it's about the little Digimon I saw being chased in my vision." Ichika answered her. "I think his name was Calumon and I was hoping if any of you know the little guy." The Digimon all looked at each other and debated on if any of them knew a Digimon called Calumon, but they all came to the conclusion that none of them do and all turned back to Ichika.

"I'm afraid we don't know any Digimon by the name of Calumon." Renamon tells him with a frown. "But if this other Dorugamon was chasing him, then there must be a reason why you saw him in your vision."

"Yeah, that's what I think so too." Ichika agrees. "So once we arrive at Nakano, we should tell Kyoko about the situation and clear Dorumon's name!"

"Yeah!" Everyone cheered in agreement save for Nami, Nabiki and Kuno as they all continued the bus ride to Nakano.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

Not long after receiving word from Ichika about a Digimon that looks like Dorumon's Champion form, Satoru and Dorumon arrived in Level 2 Kowloon to find the Dorugamon imposter and clear his partner's name. As they stepped off from the terminal, Satoru brings out a panel and starts searching for the people Ichika saw in his vision.

"So, you really think we'll find the people Ichika saw on the second level of Kowloon?" Dorumon asked him. "As well as the Digimon that looks like my Champion form?"

"There's no doubt about it, they're definitely gonna appear here." Satoru answered him as he deduced his theory. "Most of the other people all appeared in the first level of Kowloon, so now I'm sure they'll appear on the second level. We've just got to look around and see if we can find them."

"But what if they think I'm the Digimon that attacked them?" Dorumon asked in concern "We don't know if they'll listen to us or not. They might try to attack us. Can we really convince them that I'm not the culprit?"

"I don't know, but we have to try. It's the only way to know for sure." Satoru answered him as he closed the panel. "If we don't find the real culprit, then those three will always blame you." He then clutches his fists as he recalls how he was treated after the death of his mother and uncle. 'Because I will not let anyone I care about suffer the same way I did.' He thought in his mind as he starts walking down the path with Dorumon right behind him.

* * *

 **Back in the real world**

* * *

The bus arrives at the entrance to Nakano as Ichika and the gang disembarks and headed inside. Once they've entered through the entrance, they made their way to the agency to tell Kyoko about what was going on. As soon as they entered the office, there was Twoearle talking with Kyoko before they turned around to face them after hearing the door open.

"Twoearle? When did you get here so fast?" Houki gasped. "I didn't think you'd be here much earlier than us. And where is Satoru? Wasn't he always with you?"

"That's what I was talking to Kyoko about by the time you guys arrived." Twoearle answered her worriedly. "After Ichika told us about his vision, Satoru and Dorumon went into Kowloon to find those people and the Digimon themselves. He even told me to tell you guys about what he was gonna do."

"WHAT?!" Everyone gasped in shock save for Nami, Nabiki and Kuno.

"Those idiots! How can they be so stupid and reckless?!" Noire snarled as she slams her fist in her palm. "What makes them think that they'll find the same people or the Digimon Ichika saw in his vision? For all we know, they'll just setting themselves up as bait for either one of them!"

"Which is why we need to is figure out how we're going to handle this situation." Kyoko said with a frown. "We can't go rushing into this without a plan, but I'm sure Satoru has a reason for going on by himself. He wants to make sure Dorumon doesn't suffer the same treatment he had years ago, so he feels like he needs to do this."

"But what if they run into either the people in Ichika-san's vision or that Dorugamon lookalike?" Nepgear asked in worry. "I don't think the people will listen to Satoru and Dorumon because they'll think he's the one who attacked them. And if they run into the Digimon, there's no telling what it can do to them."

"I know, but we need to have faith in them. It's all we can do right now." Kyoko told her. "Until we know the outcome, we have to wait and see what happens next. Believe me, I'm worried about them too, but I need to keep a cool head. And all of you need to do the same because if you don't, we may not see them again." Everyone all looked at each other with worried looks save for a certain trio, but they all know she's right.

"You're right, Kyoko. We need to have faith in them." Ichika smiled in agreement. "You said that we need to keep a cool head, so we'll do just that. If Satoru thinks he needs to do this to help Dorumon, then we have to believe they can make it back to us." Kyoko just smiles and nods in agreement as she gathers everyone around to come up with a plan while Twoearle was still worried.

'Satoru… please make it back…' Twoearle thought to herself while clutching her hands close to her heart.

* * *

 **Back in Kowloon**

* * *

About halfway through Kowloon Level 2 and talking with some of the hackers, Satoru and Dorumon were still searching for either the people from Ichika's vision or the Dorugamon imposter, but so far were having no such luck. While still heading deeper into Kowloon, they see two hackers talking with each other and decided to eavesdrop on them. They got closer to the two hackers but made sure they weren't close enough to be seen and could still hear.

"Hey, have you been hearing these rumors that's been going on?" Hacker 1 asked her. "They say that there's a Digimon roaming around and seems to be attacking everything and everyone it sees. They even said it's attacked other hackers and completely destroyed their Digimon."

"No way! Are you serious?" Hacker 2 gasped in surprise "A Digimon program that's acting all on its own and attacking other hackers and Digimon? How is that even possible?"

"I don't know, but I can tell you that it's not some prank from another hacker." Hacker 1 answered her with a serious frown. "It didn't look like it was even being controlled by anyone, meaning it's like a rouge program. Everyone who was attacked by it were overwhelmed by just how vicious and aggressive it was. It didn't even hold hack, it just devours everything in sight." The two hackers kept on talking while Satoru and Dorumon looked at each other and nodded.

"No doubt, that's the Digimon we're looking for." Satoru frowned seriously as he adjusted his glasses. "It's already been attacking other hackers and Digimon the moment it was sent here to Kowloon. And from the sound of it, it didn't leave anything standing in its wake."

"But how are we going to find it before it finds us?" Dorumon asked him. "If they say it's as vicious and aggressive, then we won't stand a chance on our own. If it catches us, we'll be done for." Before Satoru could say anything, they turned to the two hackers who were still talking.

"So where do you think that Digimon went to next after devouring the other Digimon?" Hacker 2 asked.

"From what I heard, it's heading to the area where this Mephisto guy was acting like a lunatic." Hacker 1 answered her. "They said that he was doing some account raids until he was taken out by some guys who call themselves the Cyber Sleuths. I don't know what they did, but it looked like they were able to take out that guy and got back all the accounts he had." Now that got Satoru and Dorumon's attention as they know where the place was and decided to head there. They sneak away from the hackers while making sure they weren't spotted.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

In the deeper part of Kowloon, the same group from Ichika's vision were laying down on the floor after being attacked by the Dorugamon lookalike and getting caught in that strange earthquake. Just then, Hayato starts to stir as he begins to pick himself up while groaning and opening his eyes to see where he was. As his vision becomes clearer, he finds himself in an unknown area not too familiar to him.

"Huh…? What happened?" Hayato groaned in confusion. "And why does my head hurt…" He rubs his head to ease the pain. "I remember going to the hospital to see my sister, but then…" He starts to remember what happened to him and his friends while they were visiting the hospital until they were attacked. "That's right, I remember now! We were attacked by that monster or what was it called again? A Digimon? But then there was that earthquake and then this bright flash." He looks around to see his friends were all laying down as well as he goes over to Emilia who still had Calumon in her arms. "Hey Emilia! Wake up! Guys! Wake up!" Everyone started to wake up as they heard his voice.

"Hayato…? Is that you?" Emilia asked with a moan. "What happened? The last thing I remember was being at the hospital and then everything's just blank…" Calumon also wakes up in her arms.

"It was that creature that attacked us while we were at the hospital." Hayato answered her. "It somehow must've brought us here to this place when it attacked us back at the hospital. As for where we are, I'm not sure. But everything here looks so different from Little Garden." Soon enough, everyone else was fully conscious. "Guys, glad to see you're all alright. How are you all feeling?"

"Like I just went through a blender and was spat out." Reitia answered him with a sigh. "Now I know what a smoothie feels like when going through that process."

"At least you can still joke around. That means you'll be fine." Fritz smiled. "But in all seriousness, how did we end up in this place? It doesn't look like any place I've seen before."

"I believe that's the least of our worries. The creature that attacked us is nowhere to be found." Claire frowned seriously. "It must've left us after that earthquake came out of nowhere and now we're in this place. But we better be ready in case it might come back for round two." Everyone nodded in agreement until they heard some footsteps.

"What was that? Did you guys all heard that?" Sakura asked in concern.

"Yeah, it sounded like footsteps. Someone must be coming our way. Do you think it's the same creature?" Libby asked with a tensed look.

"I don't know, but we better hide. It could be coming back to finish us off." Erica answered her as everyone jumped up on top of the Digiwalls and waited for whoever was coming. Soon enough, they see two shadows entering the area as the footsteps get closer.

As the shadows entered the area, they made their way to the circular edge at the very end of the area. It was Satoru and Dorumon who had come to investigate what the two hackers were talking about. They both looked around the area, unaware that Libby was getting her lance ready to strike.

"Well, this is the place where those hackers said it'd be, but I don't see anything here." Satoru said as he remembered the information. "Do you think those rumors were just that? Rumors? Maybe we're just jumping the gun here." Just as Dorumon was about to answer, his ears perked up as he heard a whooshing sound coming at them.

"Satoru! Look out!" Dorumon shouted as they managed to avoid Libby's lance just as she hits the floor and creates a hole. But as she pulled her lance out from the hole, it repairs itself much like how the Digiwall did the same from BlackGrowlmon's attack.

"Um… May I help you?" Satoru asked nervously.

"Can it, you! Your creature attacked us back in Little Garden!" Libby snarled.

"W-Wait a minute! I can assure you Dorumon wouldn't do that!" Satoru reasoned as Libby's friends leaped down with their weapons drawn except for Emilia who has Calumon in her arms.

"No reason trying to lie out of this, fiend!" Erica yelled as she lashed her Hundred yo-yo at Dorumon who leaped above it. "W-What the?!" Erica gasped in shock.

"Let me try!" Reitia shouted as she charged towards Dorumon who got ready.

"Dash Metal!" Dorumon dashed and fired a Metal Cannon at Reitia who yelped and dodged it.

"W-Whoa! Wait… Wasn't the creature that attacked us supposed to be big and machine looking or something?" She blinked in confusion.

"No time! It must have shape shifted to lower our guard!" Fritz frowned as he aimed his sniper rifle at Dorumon.

"Dorumon, countermeasures!" Satoru ordered.

"Roger! Metal Shoot!" Dorumon fired a small blast of energy from his mouth when Fritz fired his sniper rifle, it collided and canceled Fritz's attack.

Fritz looked in shock. "Okay, I'm really confused right now... Just what in the seven hells are these Digimon things?!"

"Take this!" Claire snarled in fury as she fired her Hundred Sniper Rifle at Dorumon who was evading them with ease. "Just how powerful are Digimon?!" Claire gritted her teeth as Reita charged towards Dorumon again and tried to land a punch on him like last time, but he leaped out of the way.

"Hold still you thing!" Erica snarled as she lashed her Hundred Yo-Yo at Dorumon, but he got ready.

"Dino Tooth!" Dorumon summoned a dagger that looked like it was made out of dinosaur bones and he grabbed it and clashed with Erica. After 2 minutes, Dorumon won the power struggle by slashing Erica three times, but not too much because he doesn't want to hurt Hayato and his friends too much and want to reason with them. He stood beside Satoru as Hayato got out his Hundred weapon and glared at the two.

"Please, listen to us. I did not attack you all in your world in my Champion form!" Dorumon reasoned as he stands by Satoru as Hayato was ready to attack Dorumon.

However, before Hayato and Dorumon can act, Calumon leaped out of Emilia's arms and yelled out "Stop it, all of you!" That got everyone's attention as they turned to the sweet little Digimon.

"Hey, why are you trying to stop us?! Don't you know that he's the one who attacked us?!" Libby growled as she glared at Calumon. "He crashed into the hospital room and attacked us while we were seeing Hayato's sister! Don't forget, he was even trying to attack you as well!"

"Maybe so, but I'm sure that he's not the one who attacked us!" Calumon reasoned. "I can prove to you guys that he wasn't the Digimon that was chasing me." He walks over to Dorumon while walking past the tall humans beside them until he stops in front of Dorumon.

"Calumon, are you sure about this? Can you be sure that he's not the one who attacked us?" Emilia asked in concern. "What if it's some kind of trick to drop our guard and then just attack?"

"I know he's not evil like the other one. I just know it." Calumon answered her with a smile. "I can tell just by the bond he and his partner share, it's really strong. Something that the other one doesn't have." He turns to Dorumon who was still in a defensive stance in case any of them attacks. "Hi there, I'm Calumon. I'm sorry if my new friends tried to attack you, but don't hold it against them. I know they're really nice if you get to know them better. You wanna be friends?"

"Friends? With you? I'm not so sure about that." Dorumon answered him with a confused expression. "It's not that I don't think you're lying, but they think I'm the one who attacked them. Even if you say is true, how can I be sure it's not a trick?"

"Don't worry, it's not a trick at all. I can promise you that." Calumon smiled as he added "Because I know that you and your human friend there have a bond that's really strong. It's something that the other Digimon doesn't have because all it cared about was making trouble." He holds his little hand out towards Dorumon. "So what do you say? You wanna be friends?" Dorumon looks down at Calumon's hand with hesitation before looking over to Satoru who smiled and nodded before turning back to Calumon and extends his hand in response to the gesture. As they shook hands, the red triangle on Calumon's forehead glowed as well as the jewel on Dorumon's head with the Hundred group lowered their weapons.

"Well, I'll be damned. The little guy was actually telling the truth." Fritz whistled in amazement. "He knew that this one wasn't the same creature that attacked us. If this had continued, we might've made a horrible mistake."

"Then it's a good thing that Calumon stopped us before we did something that we would've regret later." Hayato agrees with a smile. "And since we know he's not the culprit, I believe it's time we should at least apologize for jumping to conclusions." His friends all nodded in agreement while Libby was still skeptical about this.

"Hey, we're sorry we attacked you guys out of the blue like that." Reita smiled. "We thought that your little friend there was the one that attacked us, but in a different appearance."

"It's all right, I'm sure you had your reasons since you were attacked first." Satoru accepted the apology with a smile. "So we won't hold it against you all, but now that just leaves another problem. Whatever happened to the Digimon that attacked you before you got sent here?"

"We were hoping you'd give us an answer to that. Since you do have one of those Digimon creatures." Claire frowned seriously. "But if this little one's not the Digimon that attacked us, then where could it have gone to?" Before anyone could answer, there was a loud roar followed by running foot stomps that appears to be closer to them then they thought.

"I think we're about to find out…" Hayato grimaced.

As the Hundred group readied their weapons and Satoru got his Digivice out, the loud roars and stomps were getting closer and closer until an all too familiar figure appears. Jumping down from the Digiwalls, it was the Dorugamon lookalike that attacked them back at the hospital. As it turned around, in its hands were two objects that both Dorumon and Calumon recognized and gasped in horror.

"No way…" Calumon gasped in horror.

"No… it can't be… Those can't be what I think they are…" Dorumon gasped in shock.

"What? What's going on here?" Erica demanded as she looked at the two objects the Dorugamon lookalike has in its hands. "Why are you two in shock all of a sudden? Is it because of those things in its hands?"

"Yes, that's right… Those are called DigiCores. They're the souls of us Digimon." Dorumon answered her with a serious frown. "Think of it as your hearts in your bodies and it's just vital to us as your hearts. It's what gives us our forms and resides within the center of our bodies." Just then, the Dorugamon lookalike brought the DigiCores closer to its mouth before starting eating them like a ravenous beast while everyone just watches in horror from the sight.

"I think I'm gonna be sick…" Sakura clasped her hands over her mouth in shock.

After he was finished eating his fill of DigiCores, he turned his attention to the same people that stopped him from getting at Calumon and was ready for revenge. The Digimon started making his way to the group before breaking out into a full on run as Calumon jumps back into Emilia's arms again for protection.

"Dorumon! Time to digivolve!" Satoru ordered.

"Right! Dorumon, digivolve to… Dorugamon!" Dorumon digivolved into Dorugamon. The Hundred Group were shocked by this.

"Holy… Did Dorumon just got bigger?!" Reitia gawked.

"Yes. That's called Digivolution. It helps Digimon get stronger and help battle bad guys like this one!" Calumon explained.

"Satoru…" Dorugamon said seriously, Satoru paid heed to his partner. "Start up a video recording to show those three certain morons proof that I didn't do it and ask Ichika and the others for assistance." Satoru nodded as he activated the video recording app and began recording the thing as he focuses on the Dorugamon lookalike.

"Ichika, if you are getting this, then I have found our culprit who is framing Dorumon. We are at the place where we fought Mepshito and BlackGrowlmon. We require assistance!" As soon as he finished, he sent it to Ichika.

"Um… Here it comes!" Emilia panicked as the Dorugamon lookalike charged towards them as Dorugamon charged towards his lookalike and thus begin the battle.

* * *

 **Back in the real world**

* * *

It's been nearly an hour after hearing of Satoru and Dorumon going on their own to find the Dorugamon imposter, but there was still no word from them yet. Ichika and the gang were still talking with Kyoko about coming up with a plan to help them while Twoearle was still on Satoru's laptop waiting for any kind of message from him, but the screen didn't have a single notification. The others all turned to her and can see just how worried she was.

"She's been staring at that laptop for almost an hour now." Liz said worriedly. "Ever since Satoru went into EDEN to clear Dorumon's name, she's been worried about him for the last couple of minutes. I knew they were close, but I had no idea how close."

"She did knew him far longer than the rest of us, so it would make sense that she'd be worried." Vert told her. "But even though those boys had a good reason, it's still foolish to try and find that Digimon on their own. Who knows what sort of damage it could cause."

"Maybe I should've waited until we were all together here at the agency." Ichika sighed. "I told him about the Dorugamon imposter in my vision and now they've gone off to find it. This mess is probably my fault we haven't heard from them yet." He feels Houki's hand on his shoulder as he turns to face her.

"I'm sure it's not like that, Ichika. You were just letting him know." Houki smiled softly. "They're probably still looking for the Dorugamon imposter and will let us know whenever they can. But looking at the situation, it kinda reminds me of you whenever you try to do things on your own." The other IS girls all turned to them and nodded in agreement while Ichika chuckles.

"Yeah, you're right. It does sounds like something I would do." Ichika agrees as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I guess it's just the way us guys need to do to prove just how tough we can be that we tend to go overboard sometimes." The other guys in the group all agreed.

"You know it." Kirito smiled in agreement.

"Amen to that, brother." Klein agrees with a smile as well.

"Damn straight." Agil agrees with a smirk.

"Can't argue with that." Yukinari agrees with a smile.

"You can say that again." Gen agrees with a nod.

"Tell me about it." Ranma agrees with a sigh.

"Yep!" Luffy agrees with a grin.

"Hmm." Zoro agrees with a nod.

"Heh." Sanji agrees with a smirk.

"Well, maybe not most of us aren't that lucky..." Kusanagi frowned as he gestures to Fukuyama, Ryoga, Mousse, Ussop and Kuno.

"HEY!" Fukuyama, Ryoga, Mousse, Ussop and Kuno all shouted in annoyance.

Just then, Ichika's Digivice starts ringing and takes it out of his pocket just as Agumon appears on the screen. "Hey, Boss, it looks like you've got some kind of message from someone. I think they sent you a video recording."

"A video recording? Who sent it to me?" Ichika asked in confusion.

"It says that it's from Satoru and it looks like he's in a battle." Agumon answered him. "And from what I can see in this, it looks like there's two Dorugamon fighting." That got Twoearle's attention as well as everyone else.

"Wait, seriously? There's two Dorugamon fighting each other?" Neptune asked with the white dotted eyes expression. "There's no way that can be possible. I mean, a blue and black hedgehog already did this shtick a long time ago." Everyone just looked at her with stunned looks while Noire whacks her on the head. "Owies!"

"Ignoring that, so what does the video show?" Noire asked as she thought about it. "Is there any way we can all watch it without huddling around Ichika?"

"I can handle that. We can play the video on Satoru's laptop for a much clearer picture." Twoearle answered with a smile. "Ichika, give me your Digivice. I can hook it up to the laptop and play the video for us." Ichika nods as he hands over his Digivice to her before turning back to the laptop. Twoearle then takes out a USB cable and inserts one end into the Digivice while the other goes into the USB port. After that, she sets up a video screen on the monitor for a much clearer view and hits play as everyone gathers around.

The video shows Dorumon already in his Champion form while the other Dorugamon charges at him as they heard voices from the background. Two of the voices they didn't recognized, but the third was definitely their friend Satoru as he records the scene.

"Ichika, if you are getting this, then I have found our culprit who is framing Dorumon. We are at the place where we fought Mepshito and BlackGrowlmon. We require assistance!" Satoru said just as he ends the video, meaning this was the time he recorded what he can and sends it to Ichika. Everyone was in shock at seeing two Dorugamon fighting each other, one of them being the one they know while the other looked like it was something out of Frankenstein. The ones who were shocked most of all were Nami, Nabiki and Kuno as they were now convinced that Dorumon was innocent the whole time.

"No doubt about it, that's our little detective at work." Robin smiled before frowning seriously. "It seems that he must've found the true culprit who was framing his little partner or rather, it found them. And now it looks like they're about to fight it, but with just them by themselves, they won't stand a chance."

"Maybe not, but this proves that Dorumon was innocent all along." Kyoko frowned seriously. "And now that we know they're fighting the Digimon Ichika saw in his vision, now we can mount a rescue for Satoru, Dorumon and anyone else with them. Just be careful when you arrive, we have no idea what this Digimon can do." Everyone nodded as they all got ready. "Cyber Sleuths, assemble!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Everyone shouted as they headed for Kowloon to help their friends.

* * *

 **Back with Satoru and the others**

* * *

Dorugamon and his lookalike were still clashing, showing no signs of weakening. Dorugamon wondered why this Digimon looks like him but looked something out of Frankenstein that Satoru told him about.

"Oh man, this doesn't look good…" Reitia grimaced. "Dorumon or whatever he's called now hasn't lay a scratch on that Digimon that looks like him. We got to help him!"

"You're right. You guys can help Dorugamon while reinforcements are on the way." Satoru agreed.

"You have friends who are coming to help us…" Fritz stopped himself, not knowing Satoru's name.

"Satoru, Satoru Kuremi. And yes, I have friends. Friends who have Digimon partners like me." Satoru smiled.

"Well, we'll take your word for it, Satoru. Let's help your friend." Hayato smiled as he charged towards the Dorugamon lookalike and used his Hundred weapon to inflict small damage on it. The Dorugamon lookalike growled as he lashed his tail at Hayato, but Libby charged towards the Dorugamon lookalike and blocked it, but was knocked back. The Dorugamon lookalike charged towards Libby.

"Watch out!" Satoru yelled as he charged towards Libby and scooped her up and got her to safety before the Dorugamon lookalike can harm her. Satoru placed her down. "You alright?"

Libby blushed as she looked away shyly and stuttered "T-Thank you… And I never did apologize for attacking your friend when we thought he was the one who attacked us."

"No problem. I don't hold it against you." Satoru smiled as he glared at the Dorugamon lookalike readying itself to attack again. "Dorugamon, you and the others try to stall him until Ichika and the others arrive!"

"Got it! Cannonball!" Dorugamon fired multiple iron balls from his mouth which hit the Dorugamon lookalike for medium damaged. The Dorugamon lookalike growled as it launched iron balls from its mouths, forcing Satoru and the others to dodge it.

"Take this!" Erica screamed out as she lashed her yo-yo Hundred at the Dorugamon lookalike, but it did small damage. The Dorugamon lookalike charged towards her, but Reitia knocked it down in the face.

"You alright, Erica?" Reitia smiled as she helped her friend up.

"Yes, thank you." Erica smiled back. The Dorugamon lookalike got up and was ready to charge again until…

"Mega Flare!"

"Meteor Wing!" Two familiar attacks hit the Dorugamon lookalike for medium damage.

"I know those attacks… Ichika!" Satoru gasped happily as he turned to see his friends running up to him.

 **(Brave Heart from Digimon Adventure plays)**

"Hey Satoru, sorry we're late." Ichika smiled as he gave his friend a thumbs up who returned the gesture. "Now let's see what this Dorugamon lookalike is really called…" Ichika frowned as he put his goggles over his eyes and began scanning the Dorugamon lookalike. "Got it! It's called DexDorugamon, but sadly, there's not much information about this thing."

"So this imposter has a name, huh?" Black Heart frowned as she readies her sword. "Then let's send it to the junk data where it belongs! Lace Ribbons!" Black Heart launched her attack at DexDorugamon, but it noticed her and slams its tail at her, knocking her back.

"Needle Spray!" Togemon launched her attack at DexDorugamon who evaded it and rammed into Togemon.

"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon got up and personal towards DexDorugamon and gave it a killer uppercut.

"Starburst Stream!" Kirito launched his famous dual sword attack on DexDorugamon, but it was far from finish as it fired Cannonballs at the team, forcing them to dodge it.

"Damn! This DexDorugamon thing has some nerve framing and copying our little dragon friend!" Franky growled as he charged towards DexDorugamon and gave it three punches due to his super-human strength for medium damage.

"Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy stretched his arm to give DexDorugamon a punch, giving it medium damage.

"Strike Fang!"

"Fox Tailed Inferno!" Strikedramon and Kyubimon launched their attacks at DexDorugamon, giving it medium damage, but DexDorugamon was far from out as he fired more cannonballs at the team, they dodged it.

"Shockwave!" Leomon launched a blast of energy from his fist, giving DexDorugamon a small dose of damage.

"Hey, Leomon did a Shockwave attack, right?" Purple Heart smiled, but before she can continue, White Heart glared at her.

"We are so not fricking doing that reference, Neptune!" She snarled as she yelled out her battle cry as she charged towards DexDorugamon and swiped it three times. Purple Heart pouted.

"You don't have to be rude about it, Blanc…" She crossed her arms before unfolding her arms and regaining her composure. "But we got to ace this battle somehow. Critical Edge!" Purple Heart launched her attack at DexDorugamon, giving it medium damage.

"Blink Breeze!" Wizardmon yelled out the name of his attack as he fired a blast of wind from his staff which hit DexDorugamon for small damage.

"Slyvet Spear!" Green Heart launched her attack at DexDorugamon who evaded it with ease.

"Eat this!" Ryoko fired her laser blasts at DexDorugamon, giving it small damage. Ichika frowned as this could be more trouble than it looked.

"Damn it, we're hardly doing anything to it!" Ling snarled as Gatomon stands besides her partner and frown. "No matter what we throw at it, it just shrugs them off and keeps on going! Just how strong is this Digimon?"

"I don't know, but we've got to keep fighting!" Ichika issued. "We can't let it out of our sight, not after it was trying to frame Dorumon! If we don't stop it here, who knows what kind of damage it could cause!"

"Easier said than done, we're not even scratching the bastard!" White Heart snapped. "I know BlackGrowlmon was tough last time, but this one's on another level! It's almost like it was built to kill!" That made Satoru, Dorugamon, Calumon and the Hundred group flinched as they all remembered how DexDorugamon devoured two DigiCores not too long ago before Ichika and the others arrived.

"But there's got to be a way to stop it! We can't give up now!" Houki gritted her teeth as Leomon got ready. "We won't let this Digimon tarnish our friend's name any longer! We can't let that happen, no matter what!" The Hundred group all looked at each other before nodding as Claire steps up before everyone.

"Everybody, let me handle DexDorugamon. I still have a bone to pick with this thing." Claire suggested. "But in order for this to work, I'm going to need all of your help." She motions her hand as the satellites all combined together to form a massive cannon as everyone else gasped in surprised while her friends already know what she's gonna do.

"What the hell?! How did you do that?!" Black Sister gasped in shock. "Those little satellites all formed together to create a cannon?! How is that even possible?"

"We don't have the time, I'll explain later! Right now we've got more important matters!" Claire answered her as she readies herself. "I'm going to use my Hundred to blast DexDorugamon in one shot or at the very least weaken it. But in order for me to do so, I have to charge it up for a short time. However, I'm vulnerable to an attack so I need all of you to keep it busy. Until I give the signal, I want all of you to get out of the way so I can get a clear shot."

"But President, would it work this time? It's just too risky!" Libby protested. "Last time you tried it, none of your shots didn't even dent it. And if you do go with this plan, it'll drain all of your energy!"

"I know, but it's the only chance we've got! It's a risk I'm willing to take for us to gain a slight advantage!" Claire reasoned. "After all, we still need to make up to their friend for accusing him of attacking us. So, this will be the first step to atoning for our misunderstanding before. It may drain my energy, but at least I gave you all a fighting chance." Everyone all looked at each other as they know it was risky, but it also the only chance they've got. They all nodded at each other before turning their attention back to DexDorugamon who was getting restless.

"All right, we'll keep DexDorugamon busy while you charge up your cannon." Ichika agreed. "We'll make sure DexDorugamon doesn't get close to you and attack while you're busy. Just gives the signal and we'll be ready to jump out of the way." Claire nods as she gets into position and begins charging up her cannon while everyone else attacks DexDorugamon.

GeoGreymon leads the charge as he tries to head butt DexDorugamon, but it just counters with its claws. Birdramon swoops down over DexDorugamon to get its attention away from Claire, but was shot down with its Cannonball attack. All the swordsmen charged it and attacked with their swords, but DexDorugamon lashes its tail at them and knocks them away. Grizzlymon swipes with his claws, but DexDorugamon was much faster than him and counters with its tail. Dorugamon charges in at his counterpart as both head butted each other and tried to overpower the other, but DexDorugamon was much more stronger and pushes Dorugamon back. With not much longer to charge, our heroes decided to weaken DexDorugamon some before Claire fires.

"Mega Flame!"

"Meteor Wing!"

"Fist of the Beast King!"

"Electo Squall!"

"Vee-Laser!"

"Strike Fang!"

"Needle Spray!"

"Multi-Moon Shooter!"

"Fox Tail Inferno!"

"Lighting Claw!"

"Power Metal!"

"Maul Attack!"

All the Digimon attacks collided with DexDorugamon and manages to knock it back, but was still standing strong and shakes off the attacks like they were nothing. Of course, it was only a distraction to keep DexDorugamon busy and away from Claire as she just about finished charging up her cannon and was ready to fire.

Claire nods as she was ready to fire before turning to the others and shouted "NOW!" so that they could all jump out of the way and make a clear path for her. Once she's got DexDorugamon in her crosshairs, she fires a powerful laser that hits the Digimon at full force and even pushes it back towards the edge. Eventually, Claire ceased firing as she was starting to feel drained from using her attack, but she knew of the risk. Sweat was coming down from her brow as she was panting heavily while turned to see if the plan worked. But to their surprise and horror, DexDorugamon was still standing after taking the blast head on and was not happy in the slightest.

"What?! How is that even possible?! How is it still standing?!" Claire gasped in shock. "I gave it everything I've had into that attack and it still wasn't enough?! Not even a Savage was this resilient! Is there anything that can stop this creature?" She got her answer as DexDorugamon fired multiple Cannonballs at our heroes and knocked them all down before charging towards her and rams her to the ground.

As Claire struggle to get back up, DexDorugamon plants its foot on her stomach to keep her pinned down and not let her escape. It also didn't help that she was exhausted from her last attack so she couldn't fight back or crawl away. DexDorugamon then raises its claw above her and was ready to strike down as it said its attack for the first time.

"Metal…Cast…" DexDorugamon said darkly just before bringing its claw down until a voice was heard.

"Bada Boom!" A flame of darkness comes flying out of nowhere and hits DexDorugamon in the face, causing it to recoil back as its foot was now off of Claire. Just then, a black shadow swoops down and swipes Claire away from DexDorugamon before returning to the air with her in his arms as his cape turns into a pair of wings and lets him hover.

 **(We Are Xros Heart from Digimon Fusion plays)**

"Wait… Is that…" Kirito gasped in shock.

"It's Meta Knight!" Silica gasped happily. Meta Knight in question lands in front of the gang and puts Claire down.

"You alright?" Meta Knight asked Claire. Claire blushed with a hint of red.

"Y-Yes… Thank you so much…" She stopped herself, not knowing her savior's name, also thinking how cute and mysterious he is.

"Meta Knight. But right now, we need to deal with this Digimon harming you." Meta Knight turned to Impmon with a smile underneath his mask. "Thanks for the help, Impmon." Impmon smirked and gave him a thumbs up.

"Yep. Figured a DexDorugamon was the cause of this commotion." Impmon turns to the gang. "Hey, you guys! That DexDorugamon is weaken. So finish it off!" Impmon turned turns his attention to Ichika and couldn't help but noticed something familiar about him.

"R-Right!" Ichika nodded in agreement as he turned to GeoGreymon, Satoru and Dorugamon and nodded to them. "Alright, let's finish off DexDorugamon!"

"Right!" Satoru agrees as he and Ichika stands side by side.

"Go!" Both of them shouted.

"Mega Flame!"

"Cannonball!" GeoGreymon and Dorugamon combined their attacks to deal the finishing blow on DexDorugamon. DexDorugamon roared in agony and disbelief as he was deleted.

After DexDorugamon was deleted, our heroes were all panting heavily after narrowing escaping from DexDorugamon's assault if not for the timely arrival of Meta Knight and Impmon who also managed to save Claire. One thing was for sure, they had won the battle and their friend's name was now safe from being tarnish any more.

"We… we did it… We beat DexDorugamon…" Purple Sister sighed in relief with a smile. "That attack was enough to weaken it so that Ichika, Satoru, GeoGreymon and Dorugamon could finish him off. Which means we've saved Dorumon's name!" Everyone all sighed in relief that they were able to make it out alive and now Dorumon's name is safe. All the Digimon returned to their Rookie forms except for Gatomon who remains in her Champion form.

"I gotta admit, I thought we were done for when DexDorugamon withstood that last attack." Agil smiled in relief. "I thought that plan was a bust before these two showed up when they did." Everyone turned to Meta Knight and Impmon, "And you sure do have a knack for showing up at the right moment."

"What can I say, it's basically a tradition whenever I see you guys in trouble." Meta Knight said with a smile underneath his mask. "We heard the commotion from where we were and decided to see what was happening. Impmon knew that only one Digimon could cause this kind of damage was DexDorugamon and he was right. I'm just glad we made it in time before anyone was seriously hurt."

"We're glad as well, you really saved us from DexDorugamon." Ichika agrees with a smile. "Now we won't have worry about him framing our friend anymore." He extends his hand to Meta Knight who returns the gesture as they both shook hands. Soon enough, everyone has gathered around to thank both Meta Knight and Impmon for saving them.

Unknown to our heroes, there was another figure watching them for a location not too far from their location. The figure was a man in his mid to late 20s who was watching the battle from a distance but could really tell that he was both impressed and intrigued about what he just witnessed. He ducks away before anyone could see him as he ponders.

"Interesting… I didn't think it was even possible, but those guys down there sure are something else." The man said quietly. "Commanding those creatures to fight, changing their forms into a much stronger form, even using weapons I've never seen before. I better report this back to the others back home. I have a feeling this world might be much more important than we originally thought." The man stands back up and walks in the opposite direction as he vanishes in a flurry of leaves. As the leaves dissipated, he was gone, but he will return for a much large role.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next chapter: Enter Guilmon and Beastmon! Mew Digimon Power In Your Face! The Wrath of Phantommon!**

 **A/N: Sorry it took us a long time to finish this chapter. Anyway, next chapter will have my co-author's Sohma OCs with Guilmon being one of the Sohma's partners and Twoearle will finally get her own Digimon partner, Beastmon. Also, for the first time ever, Mew Mew Power will appear in this third anime filler arc. So stay tuned for more updates.**


	19. Digimon Mew Power In Your Face!

**A/N: Hey all. Here is Chapter 19. Enjoy! Also, Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth IS has reached 100 reviews. So congratulations to Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth IS for reaching that milestone and I would like to thank my reviewers for making it possible. Also, I would like to say a few words to some of my reviewers.**

 **To possibly all reviewers: I know you're getting impatient about future chapters, these things take time and me and Panther J would like you to be patient and bear with us.**

 **To whoever keeps suggesting Ben 10 Ultimate Alien, Sgt. Frog, Pretty Cure and To-Love RU: Sorry, but me and Panther J aren't planning to put any cartoons into our future fanfics. Well Sonic Boom is an exception. But To-Love-Ru is definitely gonna be in this story. But Sgt. Frog and Pretty Cure are not gonna be in this fanfic or possibly any future fanfic me and Panther J write. So please don't spam this story's review page about putting Ben 10 Ultimate Alien or any other requested anime into this fic. Thank you. Anyway, on with the chapter.**

 **Chapter 19: Enter Guilmon and Beastmon! Mew Digimon Power In Your Face! The Wrath of Phantommon!**

* * *

After DexDorugamon was deleted and our heroes saved by the timely arrival of two new faces, Dorumon's name was now cleared and the culprit was no more. Now with everything settled and Dorumon's name will no longer be tarnish, our heroes decided to introduce themselves to their new visitors and explain to them about what happened to them.

"Okay, so let me see if we're understanding this correctly…" Erica began. "You're saying that we're in an entirely different world than our own and we're in a place known as EDEN. Which is a massive cyberspace network where people from around the world can connect with each other without ever leaving the country. And there's been a series of cybercrimes involving hackers where you guys come in and are known as the Cyber Sleuths?"

"Yeah, that's correct. I know it's kinda hard to believe at first, but we're not lying." Ichika answered her with a smile. "We've been taking a couple of cases for the past month and a half, so we can vouch for that. But there's also another reason why you're here is because of a phenomenon that also affected the others here." He gestures to the otherworlders who also has experienced it firsthand.

"I guess that explains why you know about us from this vision you had." Reita smiled as she placed her hand on her hip. "If this place really isn't Little Garden, then it all must be true. But how can we get back home to our own world?"

"We still haven't figured that one out yet, so we're looking into it." Satoru answered her as he continued. "However, if that same phenomena can be repeated or if we can find another way, we might be able to send all of you back to your worlds. But until then, we'll all be living here until we can come up with a solution." The Hundred group and Meta Knight all looked at each other, seeing as there's no other option at the moment before turning back to our heroes.

"Then we'll take up on your offer. We'll be happy to be living with all of you." Hayato smiled. "Of course, we still need to atone for accusing Dorumon of attacking us back in our world." Dorumon and Satoru both knew what he was talking about but made a gesture that shows they're not mad. Of course, when Satoru looked over towards Libby, she turned away with a shy look and blushed. Something that was picked up by the other girls, even in her own group.

"Count me in too. I've been in this place for a couple of days and I'm already sick of it." Meta Knight smiled underneath his mask. "I've been trying to find a way out but didn't really have any luck. So, hope you guys don't mind having two more with you."

"Not at all, we've got plenty of room for you and Impmon." Char smiled. "I'm sure we can find room for all of you in where we're staying." She then turns to Impmon. "But before we do, you'll gonna have to put Impmon somewhere safe. Do you have a Digivice with you?"

"A what now? What's a Digivice?" Meta Knight asked confusedly.

"So, you don't have a Digivice as well. Guess there's only one thing to do." Ling sighed. "We're gonna have to meet up with Mirei and have her give him a Digivice to store Impmon in."

"Sounds like a plan. Then let's head for the DigiLab." Ichika agrees with a smile. "We'll stop there to get Meta Knight a Digivice before heading back to the agency. I'm sure you all still have a lot of questions, so we can answer them there." The Hundred group, Meta Knight and Impmon all nodded as they headed out to find an Access Point to enter into the DigiLab.

* * *

While on their way back to the office, Ichika and the gang decided to get to know their new friends more. Along the way, they'll find an Access Point so that they can enter the DigiLab for Meta Knight to receive a Digivice from Mirei to store Impmon while in the real world.

"So guys, what are your names?" Reita asked curiously. "Since you saved us and all, but we still don't know who you guys are. So, we were wondering if you could tell us your names." Everyone all looked at each other and realized that she was right.

"You know, she's right. We never did tell them our names." Uni agrees with a smile. "We may have explained to them how they got here, but we haven't introduced ourselves to them yet. So, I think it's time we do that right now,"

"Not a bad idea, Uni. We still do own them an introduction." Ichika agrees, smiling as well. "Well then, I'll start us off right now." He cleans his throat. "I'm Ichika Orimura. And this is my partner Agumon. Next up, there's Houki Shinonono and her partner Elecmon. After them are Huang Lingyin and her partner Gatomon. There's Cecilia Alcott and her partner Renamon. Up next is Laura Bodewig and her partner Candlemon. Following up is Charlotte Dunois or Char for short and her partner Biyomon. Right after them are Tatenashi and Kanzashi Sarashiki and their partners Monodramon and Palmon. You already know Satoru and Dorumon, so there's no need for an introduction for them. And last but not least are Kusanagi and his partners Veemon and Wormmon." All his friends and their Digimon partners all waved or nodded at the newcomers who waved back. Except for Libby who saw Satoru smiling at her before she turns away while blushing. But upon Ichika introducing himself, Impmon was in shock to hear his last name as the others took noticed.

"Hey, Impmon, what's wrong?" Meta Knight asked in concern. "You look like you've seen a ghost. What's gotten you so shocked all of a sudden?"

"I-it's nothing! N-nothing at all!" Impmon stuttered as he looked away. "I just remember something from way back then, but it's not important right now." Everyone was confused from his outburst but decided to leave it at that and continued introducing themselves to the newcomers.

"Well, that means we're up next. So now it's time for us to introduce ourselves." Neptune beamed. "I'm Neptune, the CPU of Plantetune. The other me you saw before was my CPU form known as Purple Heart. This here is my little sister Nepgear and she's a CPU Candidate of Planetune. Next up is our resident CPU of Lastasion named Noire also known as Black Heart. Be mindful of her, she can be really lonely." Noire felt the urge to whack her again. "After Lonely Heart is her sister Uni and much like Nepgear, she's a CPU Candidate of Lastation. Following up is Blanc, she's the CPU of Lowee and she's also known as White Heart. Beside her are her twin sisters Rom and Ram and they're also CPU Candidates much like Nepgear and Uni. And last but not least is Vert aka Green Heart, the CPU of Leanbox. Unfortunately, unlike the rest of us, she doesn't have a little sister to call her own. And before you ask, the true meaning of us CPUs is because we're goddesses. And while I may not be the main character of this fanfic, I'm sure we'll get along." Everyone just looked at her confusedly while Noire finally gives into her urge and whacks Neptune on the head. "Owies! Not again!"

"Okay, just what the hell was she talking about?" Erica asked with a question mark above her head. "What does she mean by 'not being the main character?' Is she even making any sense at all?"

"We apologize for Neptune's behavior. She can be a little…eccentric at times." Vert apologized with a sigh. "She likes to make all kinds of references from many different games, movies or anime whenever she wants to. I know it can be annoying at times, but you'll learn to tolerate it after some time." Her fellow CPUs all nodded in agreement while Neptune's rubbing her head while showing the sad line teary eyes expression.

"I'm not sure if any of us would get used to that…" Reita sweat dropped.

Soon after that, everyone else started introducing themselves to the newcomers. The next group to introduce themselves were Kirito and his friends, but not to Meta Knight as they already knew him. After them were Yukinari's group with Fukuyama trying to made advancements on Claire, Libby, Erica, Sakura, Reitia and Emilia. But he was kicked away by Meta Knight, Satoru, Fritz, Hayato and Kirie before he could make his move. Following up were the Nerima Wrecking Crew, then Tenchi's group and last but not least were the Straw Hats. Now it was the Hundred group's turn to introduce themselves to the Cyber Sleuths followed by Meta Knight and Impmon.

"And that's just about everyone. With the exception of two more." Ichika smiled. "But we'll introduce you guys to them later. Right now, we need to head for the Digi-Lab and get a Digivice for Meta Knight. I'm sure Mirei's probably expecting us right now." His friends, Kirito's group, the CPUs and Yukinari's group all nodded while everyone else was confused.

"Hold on, are you saying that this Mirei person is expecting us?" Erica asked in confusion. "Just how exactly is she expecting us? Does she have cameras hidden all around us?"

"No, she doesn't have any cameras here. She's somewhat of a fortune teller." Satoru answered her. "She seems to know when we're coming to see her or even having some knowledge about things we don't even know. She may be vague at times, but she's someone we can go to if we need any help." The IS Pilots, Kirito's group, the CPUs and Yukinari's group all nodded in agreement.

"And she's the person we need to see to get me this Digivice you guys mentioned?" Meta Knight asked.

"Yep, that's right. She's the one who can give you a Digvice for Impmon." Ling answered him with a grin. "And once we do, you can store Impmon in the Digivice while in the real world. Of course, you can let him out whenever it's just us." Both Meta Knight and Impmon liked the idea and nodded. "Ok, now all we need to do is find an Access Point and enter into the Digi-Lab." Everyone looked around to find an Access Point until Emilia spots it.

"Hey, Ichika, is that the Access Point you were talking about?" Emilia asked as everyone turned around.

"Yeah, that's the one. Now we can go see Mirei." Ichika answered her. "Nice work spotting it really quick." He gave her a thumbs up and she returned the gesture while reaching out his gloved hand to access the terminal before everyone was teleported in.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

In a hidden location, the same three figures from before were watching a video of DexDorugamon battling with the Cyber Sleuths before being deleted by the combined forces of GeoGreymon and Dorugamon with some help from Claire and Impmon. While watching the video, they paused it for a moment before turning to each other.

"So that DexDorugamon was a failure after all. Just pathetic..." Male voice 1 said sourly and darkly. "To think that it would actually fail in what it was literally built to do and couldn't seem to get that right. Well, it was one of the more duds anyway."

"Maybe so, but I said they weren't ready yet. We still need more time until they're fully complete." Female voice explained. "Losing one of them may not be bad right now, but if we keep sending more and more of them, then there's no telling what could happen."

"Less useless failures to work on, I'd say. We can afford some collateral damage." Male voice 2 stepped in evilly. "Since most of these are failures to begin with, it's best to just let them run loose when we don't need them. Besides, we still have the one that's nearly complete with all the time and effort we put in for these past couple of years." He then looks back at the screen and notices a familiar face with our heroes. "Well, look at what we've got. It's Impmon, now looking alive and well. I didn't think he'd still be around after reverting back to his Rookie form after 8 years ago."

"That's not all, it seems he also has found a human companion." Male voice 1 sneered. "It seems that much like his previous incarnation, he's still just as fascinated with human life. Seems like we'll be seeing him again sooner than we originally thought." The other two figures nodded in agreement before returning to their business on working with the other Death-X prototypes.

* * *

 **Back with our heroes**

* * *

Upon entering the Digi-Lab, our heroes stepped off the terminal and walked over to Mirei who was on her laptop while the Nerima Wrecking Crew, the Straw Hats, Meta Knight, Tenchi's group and the Hundred group were all amazed at the marvel of the Digi-Lab. Mirei noticed everyone standing before her and smiled as she closes her computer and sets under her arm while adjusting her glasses.

"Ah. Welcome back, Cyber Sleuths. You all returned much sooner than I expected." Mirei greeted with a smile. "And I can see that your group has gotten more members as well. So I take it that they're all from other worlds?" The groups that don't know her all gasped in shock.

"Hold on, how do you know we're not from this world?" Akane asked in shock. "I thought that only the ones in our group were the only ones who knows that."

"True, but that doesn't mean that others such as myself knows about the existence of other worlds." Mirei said, smiling calmly. "So even through Ichika and his friends have only just met each and every one of you, I know every single one of you. But for how I know about all of this, we'll save that for another time." She turns to Ichika. "Now then, what do I owe for this surprise visit? I take it that it has something to do with another friend of yours?"

"Yeah, that's right. We're here for our friends Meta Knight and Impmon." Ichika answered her. "He needs a Digivice to store his partner Impmon while he's out in the real world with us. So we were hoping you could give him one."

"I believe that I can. And I know the right kind of Digivice to give him." Mirei said as she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a dark purple Digivice with red highlights on the sides and top before handing it over to Meta Knight. "Here, this is your new Digivice. You can use this to store Impmon into while you're out in the real world. However, if you want to bring him out, just shout out Realize and he'll materialized in the real world."

"Huh, that sounds a lot more simpler than I thought. But I suppose it's better than nothing." Meta Knight nodded. "So how does it work? How do I store Impmon into this Digivice?"

"Simple, just point it towards Impmon and he'll be registered as your partner." Mirei answered him as she explained again. "Once that's done, Impmon will be digitized and enters your Digivice where you can still interact with him. But if you want to bring him out, just remember what I told you before." Meta Knight nods as he turns to Impmon and holds his Digivice out towards him. Soon enough, Impmon was registered as Meta Knight's partner before being digitized and enters the Digivice. "And that's all there is to it." She then noticed Calumon in Emilia's arms. "Ah. I see there is another Digimon with you, I believe his name is Calumon, right?" That got everyone's attention.

"Wait… How do you know who Calumon is?" Emilia asked in confusion.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you. Now Calumon, can you come here?" Mirei offered. Calumon feels he can trust Mirei and hops out of Emilia's arms and walks up to her. Mirei quickly typed on her keyboard and a bright light appeared around Calumon. As the light substained. Calumon blinked. "There, now Calumon can enter the real world without the need of a Digivice."

"W-Whoa! That means Calumon can come with us to the real world?" Silica gasped in awe.

"Yes. But he has to be careful and he needs to only be with you." Mirei smiled again.

"Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on him and make sure he stays out of trouble." Hayato smiled as he gave her a thumbs up while Calumon climbs up his leg to his back and finally stops on his head with him scratching his chin. "When we first met this little guy, we didn't know what to think. But after a while, he's starting to grow on us."

"Understandable, seeing as you were all attacked out of the blue like that by DexDorugamon." Mirei smiled before frowning seriously. "However, if DexDorugamon was attacking Calumon before, then there must be a reason for this attack. I don't believe that DexDorugamon was attacking Calumon for no reason."

"What kind of reason?" Ram asked.

"That, I'm not sure of. But if this attack was any indication, then it's safe to assume that this was no random encounter." Mirei answered her as she continued. "I also believe that this encounter was no coincidence but was fated to happen. So, it was a good thing that Calumon found his way to you and is now safe in your care. So be sure that he's out of harm's way, I don't believe we haven't seen the last of whoever sent DexDorugamon."

"We'll keep that in mind. And thanks again, Mirei." Ichika smiled in gratitude. "You've been a great help to us so far, we really appreciate it. So, if there's any way we can repay you, just let us know."

"Well, since you mentioned it, I might have a favor to ask of you." Mirei smiled as she continued. "As most of you already know, I've sent a request to your office, so that could be a good way to start. I'll be waiting here if you ever decide to take my case." Those who've seen the request knows what she's talking about while the others don't have any idea what she's talking about. After that, they all stepped back onto the terminal and teleport out of the Digi-Lab. But not before Mirei opens her laptop again and looks at the screen with DexDorugamon. "So…it's already starting… I didn't think they'd sent out one of the Death X subjects out so soon…" She looks over to the terminal. "I just hope that, whatever comes your way, you'll be able to overcome it."

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

Back in the real world, Kyoko and Twoearle were still waiting for Ichika and the others to return with Satoru and Dorumon after receiving his message not too long ago. Just then, the TV screen started glowing and they both knew what that means. Ichika and the gang have found them and are now coming back. Eventually, light bursts out from the screen and lands in the center of the office as it starts to dissipate to reveal the group with some newcomers with them.

"Whoa… that was just weird…" Reita groaned. "When you said that we were going to wrap back to the office, I didn't think you'd mean that literally. Now I know what it feels like to be downloaded from the computer." Her friends and Meta Knight all groaned in agreement as they try to compose themselves.

"Yeah, sorry about that. It tends to happen for first timers." Ichika said with closed eyes and a smile. "But after a while, I'm sure you'll get used to it. I'm just glad there aren't any side effects to using this or we might be in trouble."

"And speaking of trouble, where is that idiot Satoru?" Noire fumed. "I still need to give him a piece of my mind for trying to handle this by himself and for all the trouble he caused for us. If he thinks that he can walk out of this scot-free, then he's got another thing coming."

"Now that you mentioned it, where is our little detective?" Neptune asked in confusion. "I thought we all came out of Kowloon at the same time, but I don't see him anywhere. Do you think he'd gotten lost along the way?"

"That's because he entered Kowloon through his computer back home." Twoearle answered her. "It was right after Ichika called and told him about DexDorugamon attacking their world. So he and Dorumon logged into EDEN to find DexDorugamon, but not before telling me to let all of you know of what they were doing."

"Even so, that was still reckless on his part." Vert frowned sternly. "I get that he was just trying to clear Dorumon's name, but that was still no excuse to go after DexDorugamon on their own. If he haven't sent that message to us, things would've ended much differently. We're going to have a stern talking to with him when he arrives." Everyone nodded in agreement before turning to a certain idiot trio who all knew they were in trouble.

"And not only that, I think you three owe Satoru and Dorumon an apology…" Asuna frowned angrily as she placed her hands on her hips. "Ever since the start of the day, you three have been placing the blame on Dorumon for something he didn't commit. At least Hayato and his friends were able to realize their mistake, but you idiots were still convinced that Dorumon was the culprit! So, what do you three have to say for yourselves?" Nami, Nabiki and Kuno all couldn't say anything as they knew that they were now feeling stupid for accusing Dorumon for a crime he didn't commit.

"Uh-huh, that's what we thought… You three should be ashamed of yourselves." Uni frowned in disapproval. "For accusing an innocent Digimon for not only invading another world, but also attacking these guys when he clearly had no reason to do so. So, you better apologize to Satoru and Dorumon when they get here."

* * *

 **Kuremi residence**

* * *

After saving the Hundred group and deleting DexDorugamon with the help from Meta Knight and Impmon, Satoru logs out from the computer in his room and returns to the real world. Dorumon also returns to the real world and is safely back in his partner's Digivice.

"Whew… I am glad that's over and done with. I thought for a minute there that it went south." Satoru sighed in relief. "We were able to put a stop to DexDorugamon and even saved Hayato's group while also clearing your name, Dorumon. So it seems that all's well that ends well."

"Maybe so, but let's not forget that we went after DexDorugamon without everyone else's knowledge." Dorumon told him. "So we can expect most of them to be miffed about us trying to deal with the situation ourselves. Not that I blame them, we were nearly done for if they haven't showed up because of your message."

"I know, but I couldn't just sit around and let you take all of the blame for something you didn't do." Satoru smiled softly. "I wanted to prove to those three morons that you were innocent, but I guess that only got us into trouble." He looks at the clock on his desk. "Well, it looks like there's still some time left, so we better head for Nakano. Ichika and the others must've already made it back by now." Dorumon nodded in agreement in agreement as he gets up from his desk, puts on his shoes and heads out to Nakano with his Digivice in his pocket.

* * *

 **Back at Nakano**

* * *

Everyone was waiting around the office for Satoru to arrive and have Nami, Nabiki and Kuno apologize to him and Dorumon for accusing him of attacking another world. Of course, this also includes them being scolded by Noire for attempting something so reckless without their consent and was nearly killed during the battle against DexDorugamon. Eventually, they hear the door opening up and turned around to see Satoru entering the office before closing the door behind him as he turns to face everyone. Needless to say, Noire wasn't too happy to see him as she walks over to him with her hands on her hips.

"Well, look who finally decided to grace us with his presence..." Noire frowned angrily as she glares at him. "Satoru Kuremi, our resident little detective. So, what do you have to say for yourself for trying to handle DexDourgamon on your own?"

"I'm guessing you don't want an excuse, right?" Satoru asked nervously while holding his hands up in defense.

"That depends..." Noire narrowed her eyes.

"Depends on what?" Satoru asked again, gulping.

"Depends on what your excuse is justified or not!" Noire yelled angrily. "After Ichika told you about DexDorugamon, you decided to play hero and go out to find him! Didn't you even think about calling us before going into Kowloon to find him? I guess for being a detective, you're such an idiot! What could've happened if you didn't send that video to us? Things could've ended a lot differently!" Satoru was just silent as he lowers his head with his hair covering his eyes.

"Hey, you didn't have to yell at him like that. Go easy on the guy." Liz calmed Noire down. "I'm sure he was only doing what he did was right because he didn't want Dorumon to take the blame for DexDorugamon. I know it was reckless of him, but he was only trying to help Dorumon. Besides, it's only because these idiots thought Dorumon was the one responsible for attacking their world." She gestures to Nami, Nabiki, Kuno and the Hundred group.

"And not only that, Calumon also helped out in clearing the situation for us." Hayato agrees as he stood up for Satoru. "So just take it easy, we still owe him for saving us from DexDorugamon. We can all vouch for him if you still don't think so." His friends all nodded in agreement as Noire finally gives in.

"*Sigh* Fine, if you say I should go easy on him, then so be it." Noire nodded before adding "I'll let him off the hook this time, but I won't be so nice the next time he tries a stunt like this. However, I'm only doing this because you all gave a valid reason."

"That's our Noire. Always being the one that shows tough love, but she's just a big, old softie on the inside. She's like a mother, acting really strict and harsh, but still cares for you." Neptune smiled as everyone looks at Noire with raised eyebrows while she turns redder than a tomato.

"I AM NOT A MOTHER!" Noire screamed in fury as she glared at the Planetune CPU with fire in her eyes. "NEPTUNE!" She starts chasing Neptune around the office with everyone watching them. Well, almost everyone as Satoru still had his head down from Noire scolding him for his stunt on trying to find DexDorugamon to clear Dorumon's name. Ichika sees this and walks over to him while placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, don't let what she said get you down." Ichika reassured him. "I know what she said was harsh, but I'm sure she's only saying that because she cares. But make sure you don't say that out loud or she might try to kill you." Satoru raised his head up to Ichika and chuckled a little. "Hey, glad to see you've cheered up a little. You feeling better?"

"A little, but it'll take a while for me to calm down." Satoru answered him with a small smile. "But she's not wrong, I was stupid in thinking I could take on DexDorugamon myself, but I couldn't just let Dorumon take all of the blame for something he didn't do. I just had to clear his name and find out who was behind it."

"I'm sure you meant well, but you really had us worried when you went out on your own." Ichika smiled softly. "When Twoearle told us that you and Dorumon were trying to find DexDorugamon, I thought it was my fault that you two went out on your own. But when we got your message that you were still alright, we were relieved to hear that you weren't hurt. But seeing that you and Hayato's group were in trouble with DexDorugamon, we rushed to your aid as fast as we can."

"And I'm glad you all made it in time to save us. I didn't know what could've happened if you didn't show up when you did." Satoru agrees with a smile. "I guess I was just acting on impulse and tried to do things on my own. It's a real bad habit I have and I'm trying to break out of it, but it doesn't always work."

"Hey, we all have bad habits sometimes. But I'm sure you'll overcome yours." Ichika smiled in agreement. "So, try to make sure you keep that habit of yours in check. We definitely don't want to make a habit of what just happened." They both chuckled.

"I'll try, but I won't make any promises. My impulse just tends to act up without me thinking." Satoru grinned. "My instincts just acts up on their own and that's why I tend to act without thinking. But I'll try to keep that in check." Ichika smiles as they fist bumped before turning to see their friends walking out of the office with Ling calling out.

"Hey! You two coming or not?" Ling asked with a smile. "We're gonna show Hayato and the others around Nakano! You gonna join us?" The boys nodded as they joined the rest of the group in showing their new friends around Nakano. But not before Kyoko smiles in seeing Satoru opening up to everyone around him before returning to work.

* * *

Not long after leaving the office, Ichika and the gang decided to show their friends around Nakano while also getting to know them more. But not before also planning to get some new clothes for the Hundred group and Meta Knight for them to stay in their world. Of course, Hayato and his friends surprised everyone by deactivating their Hundreds and revert back to their uniforms so they don't have to worry about people giving them weird looks. Meta Knight on the other hand needs to buy some clothes as people would think he's some kind of weirdo in his armor. So, the Cyber Sleuths took him to a men's clothes store on the 2nd floor to help him pick out some new clothes.

"So why are we here at a clothes store?" Meta Knight asked confusedly.

"To buy you some new clothes, of course. You can't go walking in your armor." Cecilia answered him. "We're not sure how people would react to you in your armor and that mask of yours doesn't make it any less intimidating. Kirito and the others already have bought new clothes, so you need some as well." He looks at himself in his armor and knows that she's right.

"I get what you're saying, but it's just that it never occurred to me about buying new clothes." Meta Knight agreed. "After being trapped in SAO for two years, I pretty much had forgotten all about the real world and kept on living my life in the game. And it's not just me, every other player thinks the same and had basically moved on from returning to their lives in the real world or clearing the game." Kirito's group all knows exactly when he's talking about as they all felt the same way during their time in SAO.

"It must've been a horrible experience for all of you. Being trapped inside a game for two years…" Vert frowned angrily as she clenched her fists in anger at Kayaba's actions. "I still can't believe that this Kayaba had the gaul to trap everyone in the game just for his amusement. Does he even care how the people or their families would feel if they were trapped?" All the SAO players shook their heads no as they all knew of the horrors of being trapped and how several players took their lives just to escape.

"Not in the slightest. He did it because he can…" Kirito answered her with a frown. "He believes that because he made the game, it automatically makes him a god. So while several other players took their lives to escape the nightmare, we kept on fighting for those that want to go back to the real world. It wasn't easy having to experience it multiple times, but we've managed to push on to make sure everyone get home safely. So, despite my victory over Heathcliff, we still can't log out, so we're gunning for the final boss to help those players escape while figuring out why we still can't log out after my victory over Heathcliff aka Kayaba." The rest of his group all nodded in agreement as they started shopping for new clothes for Meta Knight.

For the next hour, our heroes looked around the clothes store for some new clothes for Meta Knight to wear during his stay in their world. He tries on some clothes they found, but none of them seems to catch his interests. Just as they were about to give up, Meta Knight spots a dark blue shirt with long sleeves, dark blue pants with a belt and a dark blue sleeveless jacket. He picks them up and heads for the changing rooms to try them on. A little later, he comes out in his new outfit and shows off to everyone.

"Well, what do you guys think? Does this suit me?" Meta Knight asked.

"Not bad. It's almost like your armor." Kirito commented with a smile. "Now you won't have to worry about people freaking out." He then noticed that his mask was still on. "But you still might have to take off your mask. It kinda stands out like a sore thumb." Everyone nods in agreement as Meta Knight touches his mask.

"I understand what you're saying, Kirito, but even you know why I wear this mask." Meta Knight said sternly. "It's not just because it's part of the appearance, but it's really because I don't trust any of your new friends yet. I'm sure they're good people, but I don't fully trust them at the moment. I hope none of you guys take it the wrong way." Ichika walks over to him.

"Don't worry, we won't hold it against you for being cautious." Ichika smiled softly. "I'm sure you have your reasons for not trusting us yet, so we won't push you to trust us. We'll take it slow and I'm sure we'll build up your trust along the way. So for now, let's get to know each other more and maybe you might trust us." Everyone nodded in agreement while Meta Knight looks over to Kirito who smiled and nodded at him before returning the gesture.

Meta Knight takes off his mask to reveal his true face while his hair goes from dark blue to a light brown. When he had his mask over his face, his eyes were yellow, but after taking his mask off, it's revealed that his eyes were hectochromic with his left eye having a teal color and his right with golden yellow. As this was the first time anyone other than Kirito has seen his face, they were all amazed at his appearance. Claire, however, was just in amazement at seeing his true appearance and couldn't help but blush at him. Soon enough, they paid for his new clothes and the tour of Nakano started.

"By the way, since you have your mask off, what should we call you now?" Kirie asked as she placed her hands on her hips with a smile. "Now that we can see your true face, but we don't even know your name yet." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Well, since I've showed you guys my real face, I suppose it's fair to tell you my name." Meta Knight said with a small smile. "My in game name is known as Elias. But my real world name is known as Haruko Shido. You can also just call me Haru for short."

"Oh, I get it. Your name in SAO sounds like an alias. Like how everyone knows you as Meta Knight." Yukinari said with a smile. "Much like how every superhero all have an alias to hide their identities from everyone, including their friends and enemies."

"Heh, yep, you hit the nail on the head. That's why I chose Elias." Elias smiled as he gave Yukinari a thumbs up. "And because all the other players knew me as Meta Knight, with a few notable exceptions." He looks over to Kirito who nods and he nods back. "I kept the name since I used a lot of OP weapons and equipment throughout the game. Also, it goes well with my armor and mask as you guys can all tell."

"Yeah, that we all do. And it does suit your appearance in SAO as well." Ichika agrees with a nod. "Plus, since we now know your name, it'll make things a lot easier to get to know each other. So then, shall we get this tour started?" Everyone nodded in agreement as he tour officially begins.

The Cyber Sleuths showed their new friends around Nakano and what each floor has to offer during their stay. There were three restaurants, two of which were on the first floor while the third was on the second. More shops on the third and second floors along with some food vendors. They also showed the arcade and the K-Cafe on the fourth floor where they met with Mr. Miyuki and Sachi who were more than happy to greet them. They even showed a spot that's gonna be where Agil's bar is being built. After the tour ends, everyone stopped at an ice cream parlor for some ice cream before heading back to the office.

"I gotta say, this place sure is something else." Reita smiled as she ate her ice cream. "I had no idea that a place like this can have so much character. I wish Little Garden had a place like this."

"That's the beauty of Nakano. At first glance it may seem like an ordinary shopping center, but once you enter, you can feel the warm atmosphere all around you." Satoru smiled as he explained. "Nakano may look like your everyday shopping center and it definitely is, but there's a charm that you won't find anywhere else. And that's what gives Nakano it's distinct personality that makes people visit." Everyone all nods in agreement.

"By the way, there's something I've been meaning to ask you guys." Sakura stepped in with worry in her features. "Where are we gonna be staying at while we're in your world? Since we don't know anything about your world, we were wondering where we can stay." Her friends and Meta Knight all nodded in agreement.

"Not to worry, we know exactly where all of you can stay." Ling grinned. "We can enroll you guys at our school and you all can get your own rooms. It's a lot better than having to let you guys stay at a hotel. That way, we can all come to Nakano together whenever school ends."

"And plus, we also want to learn more about your devices you wore." Cecilia agrees as she remembered what Ichika told her in his vision. "What were they called again? Hundreds?" The Hundred group all nodded. "I see, those do look fascinating. They do resemble the IS we use, but with several differences." Now the Hundred group were all confused.

"IS? What's that? I've never heard of it." Erica confusedly said. "We've always had only the Hundreds to fight off the Savage, but we've never heard of this IS before. So what is an IS?"

"Instead of telling you, I think it's best we showed you at our school." Ichika answered her with a smile. "That way, it'll be a lot easier for you to know what an IS is." His friends all nodded in agreement before turning to the clock on the wall. "Well, I think it's time we head back. Nakano's gonna close in two hours, so everyone's gonna pack up for the night. We can talk a lot more tomorrow." The Hundred group and Elias all nodded in agreement as everyone make their way back to the office.

* * *

Not long after ending the tour around Nakano and buying some new clothes for Elias, our heroes made their way back to the office to meet up with Kyoko before heading for home. As they entered the office, they find Kyoko putting a jacket over her and buttons up. She turns around to find her assistants have return.

"Ah, welcome back, everyone. I see that the tour went along smoothly." Kyoko smiled. "And I can also see that you've even got some new clothes for one of your new friends. He really does look sharp in that." Elias rubs the back of his head with an embarrassed smile.

"Yeah, we were able to find him some clothes that really suits him, pardon the pun." Ichika agrees while everyone chucked while the Straw Hats were confused on that expression. "So, once we've got that done, we gave them the tour as usual." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I see. That's good to hear." Kyoko smiled.

"So why are you putting on a jacket, Kyoko? You going out on a date?" Kirie asked with raised eyebrows.

"Not exactly, Matayoshi has asked me to join him and his squad on investigation and this one might last all night." Kyoko answered her as she continued. "So, I'm going to pull an all-nighter on this case, which is why I'm dressing up more heavy this time. We all know how cold Tokyo can be during the late hours." Those who all lived in Tokyo all nodded in agreement. "But before you guys came back, I've made some coffee for our new guests. I thought they could have something to clear their nerves after being attacked by DexDorugamon and sent to our world without any warning."

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Everyone else except for Luffy and Yui screamed in terror.

"Sure, we'll be glad to take up on your offer." Hayato smiled. "After all the craziness that's happened to us, I think that could help us calm our nerves." His group and Elias all nodded in agreement.

"Perfect. I'll get them before I head out." Kyoko smiled in agreement as she heads for the other room.

"Not again! It's another round of her lethal coffee!" Uni panicked as the white dotted eyes expression appeared on her face. "If she comes back with those death traps, there's no telling what could happen! We've got to get them out of here before she comes back!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Reita asked confusedly. "You're making it sound like her coffee's deadly or something. I'm sure it's not that bad."

"No, you don't understand! Her coffee's not meant for this world!" Liz stammered as bad memories of Kyoko's coffee came flooding into her mind. "Its mere existence spells death and destruction to all if she ever starts selling it! You guys had better leave before it's too late!"

"That's highly impossible. There's no way a simple coffee can be a tool of destruction." Erica scoffed. "It's probably has a more exquisite taste that only those with a more mature tastebud can enjoy. More so than the childish tastebuds from all of you…"

"I don't know, maybe we should listen to them…" Elias tensed. "I've got a gut feeling that the coffee might be as lethal as they said it would be. So how about we leave before anything bad happens."

"Finally! Someone with some common sense!" Kirie sighed in relief. "You don't know how many times we went through this and always come out with the same results! Every time we try to warn someone about Kyoko's coffee, they just ignore us and drink it anyway! Only for them to pass out after just one sip! So, we better scram before she comes back with that toxic waste she calls coffee!"

"Come on, I'm sure it's not as bad as you guys say it is." Emilia smiled in reassurance. "It's probably because it's a little different than normal, but you guys don't like it because it's new. Maybe if you give it a chance, I'm sure it'll be something special." Before anyone could say anything, Kyoko returns with a tray full of coffee cups.

"Here it is, a special blend I've been experimenting on for some time now and I think this is a breakthrough." Kyoko smiled proudly. "Have a taste of my newest creation; seaweed, tuna, and red beans coffee. I hope it's to your liking." She places the cups on the table as Hayato's group and Elias all looked at it, only for it to bubble with a weird aroma.

"Well…it would be rude not to accept the kind gesture…" Claire gulped. "So, we'll be glad to have a taste of your coffee." She and her friends all picked up their cups and hesitated at first before taking a sip.

"Well? How is it? Was it something special?" Kyoko asked. But before anyone could answer, Hayato's group and Elias all started choking and coughing like crazy before falling over while foaming at the mouth. "Hmm…another failure. Looks like it's back to the drawing board." But then everyone noticed that Calumon was drinking the coffee and wasn't in pain like the others were.

"This is just delicious! I never had something this tasty before!" Calumon closed his eyes and smiled as he drank the coffee. "This coffee thing is so good. You sure know how to make a tasty drink."

"Well, it seems I've got three fans of my coffee. That's good to hear." Kyoko smiled as she leaned down and smiled at Calumon. "And I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed my coffee, little guy. I'll be more than happy to make some more for you again if you want." Calumon jumps for joy as a yes while everyone was just in shock.

"What…"

"In…"

"The…"

"Hell…?" Ichika, Kirito, Satoru and Klein all asked with the white dotted eyes expression.

"Well, I best be off now. Matayoshi's probably waiting for me." Kyoko closed her eyes and smiled. "All of you better lock up the office as soon as you head for home. I have the key in my pocket, so I can open the office tomorrow when the investigation is done." Everyone nods as she heads out of the office to meet with Matayoshi.

* * *

Not long after recovering from Kyoko's coffee and locking up the office after she left to meet with Detective Matayoshi, our heroes were on the bus heading for home. As it was still the weekend, there was still one more day to get to know their new friends that just recently appeared in their world. Needless to say, they were now afraid of coffee thanks to Kyoko giving them her special blend and nearly died after having a taste of it.

"Holy crap…I thought we were done for back there…" Reita muttered in shock. "I didn't think it was even possible to make coffee taste so terrible, but it looks like someone did… I'll never look at coffee the same way ever again…" Her friends and Elias all nodded in agreement while Ichika and the others couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

"We tried to warn you guys about the coffee, but as usual, our warnings fell onto deaf ears until you taste it yourself." Houki frowned softly before smiling softly. "But in all seriousness, we're all just glad none of you were seriously hurt from the coffee. I swear, it's like no matter how many times this happens, her coffee just seems to keep on getting even worse than last time. I'm afraid for whoever comes to our world next and have to drink Kyoko's coffee."

"So, what you guys are saying is that this has happened before with everyone else here?" Sakura asked in shock with a gulp. "And it's gonna keep on happening when more people from other worlds come here?"

"Unfortunately, yes. That seems to be the case." Satoru answered her with a sigh. "And I'm afraid her coffee's only going to get even worse in the coming months. We can only hope that none of them suffer the same fate as all of us had." Everyone who had tasted the dreaded coffee all nodded in agreement except for Yui, Luffy and Calumon who all enjoyed it.

"Still, we should at least apologize for not listening to your warnings about the coffee." Hayato said with an apologetic smile. "If we had, none of us would've collapsed after tasting her coffee and even Elias tried to stop us. So, we apologize for ignoring you guys and drinking the coffee." His friends all nodded in agreement.

"It's all right, no hard feelings from us." Ling smiled. "We're just glad that you guys all recovered without any side effects from the coffee." Then she and everyone all turned to Calumon in Emilia's arms. "But there's one thing I don't get. How is it that Calumon wasn't effected by the coffee?"

"That's the thing with us Digimon, because our bodies are comprised of data, we don't really have much of a physical body." Calumon answered her with a smile. "We can only exist in your world because of your Digivices and what that woman did to me. So that coffee stuff you guys mentioned being so bad doesn't really hurt me."

"When you put it that way, it does make a lot more sense." Tatenashi agreed with a smile. "Ever since we've first encountered the Digimon, they've always only been seen in cyberspace. So when you think about it, it would make sense that the coffee wouldn't hurt him since he doesn't have much of a physical body." Everyone nodded in agreement before turning their attention to Nami, Nabiki and Kuno as there was still one more thing to do.

"And speaking of apologies, you three still have to apologize to Satoru and Dorumon for wrongfully accusing them." Cecilia frowned sternly. "All this foolishness happened because you three thought Dorumon was the one who attacked Hayato and his friends in their world when it was DexDorugamon. I hope you all learned your lesson today about not jumping to conclusion for your own satisfaction." The idiot trio all lowered their heads as they all knew she was right. They accused an innocent Digimon for a crime he didn't commit and Nabiki wanted to profit from it. They all turned to Satoru who was still a little miffed at them.

"We're sorry for accusing Dorumon of attacking their world." Nami apologized. "It wasn't right for us to place the blame on someone we've just starting to know more, but we did anyway. We hope you can forgive us for placing the blame on Dorumon." Kuno and Nabiki both nodded in agreement as they bowed to Satoru who had his arms crossed.

"I'll forgive you this time, but you won't get a second chance if this happens again…" Satoru said angrily. "I hope you three have learned your lesson on not accusing an innocent bystander for a crime they didn't commit. It was bad enough that you three were accusing Dorumon of attacking Hayato and the others in their world but trying to exploit from the whole ordeal was just uncalled for! If any of you try that nonsense again, I won't be so nice!" That made everyone surprised to see him just so angry, even though he has every right to be.

"Whoa… I didn't think he'd be this POed this much." Klein gulped. "I get that he has every right to be pissed at them, but he just looks downright furious. Almost like this whole thing might've struck a nerve in him."

"That could be the case, but what could've happened that made him react this way?" Vert asked in concern. "It seems that this incident was much more personal to him than we originally thought. Perhaps an incident from his past that triggered a painful memory that could've been a similar fashion to what just happened?" Everyone looked at each other and shrugged as the bus turns a curve into another part of Tokyo to avoid some traffic.

As the bus drives through the Ikebukuro district, it drives by an Internet cafe with a blue cartoon butterfly on the sign. Walking down from the stairs, a boy no older than most of the Cyber Sleuths exits the cafe and steps onto the sidewalk. He had light brown hair with blue eyes, a long sleeved blue jacket with a hood over a white collared shirt with a symbol in the shape of butterfly wings, black pants, fingerless gloves, blue and white shoes and a vizor resting around his neck and shoulders. As he turns around, three more people also exited the cafe and walked onto the sidewalk. The first was a tall young man with dull purple hair, a green striped sando shirt with gray short pants, sandals and the same jacket tied around his waist. The second was another young man about slightly shorter than the first with platinum blonde hair, long back pants, a light blue shirt under the same jacket as the other two. The third and final one was girl about the same age that the first boy with dark blue hair tied two long twintails that almost reaches to her ankles, a yellow thigh length sleeveless dress with frills underneath, the same jacket as the boys and wears it like a cape, a small whale plush on her shoulder and a big whale blush in her arms. The four all waved goodbye to each other before heading their separate ways, but not before the first boy catches a glimpse of the Cyber Sleuths in the bus before continuing on.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

In the night skies just a couple of miles over the Sea of Japan, a commercial airliner flies through the clouds as lights shined to light its path. Our view moves into the cabin of the plane to see the passengers either sleeping, watching an inflight movie or on their laptops. Four people in particular were in the center of the plane and were among the few passengers that were awake while talking with each other. The first three were boys while the last one was a girl and all were about the same age as most of the Cyber Sleuths. Judging from their appearance, they all appear to be American and were heading for Japan for a specific reason, but what could that reason be?

"So Graham, when we get to Tokyo, how are we gonna find the IS Academy?" The girl asked curiously. "From what our teacher said, we're heading for the IS Academy for a program, but he didn't tell us much about what this program is. So how are we gonna know what to do when we arrive in Tokyo?"

"I'm not too sure, but it must be something important if we're the ones chosen to head over to Japan for the rest of the year." The boy known as Graham answered her as he scratched his chin in thought. "Though if I had to guess, it must have something with the IS Academy now accepting male students and some kind of new experiment going on."

"What kind of experiments?" Another boy asked confusedly.

"From what I gathered, they're using these special suits that remotely controls the IS unit along with the pilot. Almost like having the suit itself is sentient." Graham answered him. "And the suit wearer can also control the IS unit even when the pilot's not controlling it. That's what I think from what they told us."

"That does make some sense when you think about it." A third boy agrees with a smile. "Ever since the advent of EDEN, the IS kinda lost some of its popularity and women lost their position in the seat of power. So now they're trying this new method of controlling the IS and even accepting male students. Do you guys think that it'll work for them?"

"I'm not sure, but we'll just have to see by the end of the semester." Graham answered him. "If this plan of theirs does work, it might be the leg up they need for the IS to regain their popularity. But all in all, it's a gamble so we don't know for sure if it does work out or not. We'll just have to wait and see how it plays out." His siblings all nodded as the Flight Attendant speaks through the PA.

"Attention passengers, we are about less than two hours away from our final destination." The Flight Attendant announced. "So at this time, we'd liked for you to return your seats and fasten your seatbelts. We will be arriving in Tokyo shortly. Thank you." She ends the announcement as the plane continues flying towards Japan through the night sky.

* * *

 **Back in Japan**

* * *

After dropping off Satoru and Twoearle at the Kuremi Residence, Ichika and his guests all arrived back at the Orimura Residence while the bus dropped everyone else at the IS Academy. Upon entering through the front door, everyone decided to turn in early as the battle against DexDorugamon had tired them out. However, as Ichika drifts off to sleep, he begins seeing another vision of another world that's not so different from his world. But it has a special kind of twist to this world.

* * *

 **Meanwhile in another dimension**

* * *

At an amusement park on the outskirts of Tokyo, five girls were walked through the main entrance before stopping to take a look around. The girls looked around the park at all of the rides and other attractions it has to offer. The two girls of the group were the most excited to be at the park while the other three remained more calm, but are just as excited as their friends.

"Oh yeah, we're finally here! We finally made to the amusement park!" The red haired girl smiled. "And we finally get a day off after working so hard at Cafe Mew Mew for almost a year. I thought this day would never come!"

"You can say that again, Zoey! I've been wanting to come here for a long time too!" The short blonde girl agrees with a grin "This park has been the talk of the town for a while and I wanted to come here with you guys. So when Elliot and Wesley told us we can have the day off today, this was the first place that wanted to come!"

"And you sure picked a great place to spend our day off, Kikki." The dark green haired girl with glasses smiled "The park sure has a lot of fun rides and other attractions to see and do. I wonder which should we do first?" The girls all looked around until Kikki spots a haunted house attraction not too far from where they were.

"Hey, let's go check out that haunted house over there." Kikki suggested while pointing to the attraction "There's not that many people there, so we can just go in and come out with more time to get on the other rides." Her friends all nodded in agreement while Zoey just turns pale and starts shivering in fear.

"I-i-in t-t-that h-h-h-h-haunted h-h-h-house?" Zoey stammered. "Why does it have to be that first?! What if there are ghosts in there?"

"Oh, grow up, Zoey! I can't believe you still believe in that nonsense!" The dark blue haired girl scolded. "It's a haunted house, so of course there'd be ghosts in there! But those are the fake ones that are used to scare people. And besides, there's no such thing as ghosts!"

"That doesn't make me any less scared, Corina! You know I don't like scary places!" Zoey growled as she and Corina glared at each other while the rest of their friends just sighed.

"And there they go again. They're arguing again..." Kikki sighed. "Even on our day off, it just never seems to stop with these two." Her friends all nodded agreement as the oldest and tallest member of the group walks over to them and separates the two girls.

"All right, that's enough, you two. Now isn't the time to be arguing like this." The tall dark purple haired girl scolded. "We came to this park to relax and enjoy our day off, not argue about Zoey's fears. So you two need to tone down your rivalry for just today and let's all enjoy this day off." Both girls claimed down and nodded before looking up at her.

"Ok, Renee." Zoey and Corina nodded.

"Well, with that settled, let's get this day off started!" Kikki beamed as they all walked over to the haunted house and waited in the short line. Zoey, however, looks up at the building and ties to tell herself that it's just an attraction and nothing there is real. But then, a shadowy figure moves across one of the windows and vanishes a moment later, but Zoey was the only one who saw the shadow and was feeling a sudden chill down her spine as soon it was time for her and her friends to enter the haunted house.

* * *

Upon entering the haunted house, the girls walked through a long hallway with suits of armor on both sides decorating the halls. As the girls walked passed the suits of armor, the heads follow them as they walk by. Giving the illusion that the armors are possessed with the spirits of warriors long passed, but still have a reason to fight. However, the same shadowy figure from before phases through the floor with several other figures as they all watched the girls walk down the hall. The lead shadow motions its sleeve to order the others to scatter around the building and they all do so while the leader phases back down into the floor, his blue eyes narrow through the hood of his cloak.

About halfway through the haunted house, the girls were still walking through the halls and getting scared along the way. Zoey worst of all. But while walking through the hallway, they heard a loud screaming from further in and that made Zoey jump up in fear with her ears and tail popped out while her friends tensed up. The screams didn't sound like it was for fun, but like out if fear of something.

"AHHH! What was that?! What was that screaming?!" Zoey screamed.

"It sounded it like it came from further in! But that doesn't sound like to be anyone having fun! I think someone is trying to actually scare someone!" Kikki answered with a serious frown.

"But who would do such a thing? And for what purpose?" The glasses girl asked in concern "This is just an amusement park attraction for everyone to have fun in. What's the point in scaring everyone?"

"I'm not sure, Bridget, but I don't believe that was part of the show." Renee answered her as she tensed. "It would seem that someone decided to actually scare someone as a sort of cruel joke. Well, we we're not going to let that happen on our watch!" Her friends all nodded in agreement and ran down the hall to where they heard the screams with Zoey trailing behind.

"Hey guys! Wait for me! Don't leave me behind!" Zoey wailed as she tried to catch up to her friends.

As the girls near the end of the hallway, they can hear laughing and it wasn't just one, but two. That means two people were laughing at the cruel joke of actually scaring people half to death and decided to teach them a lesson. But as the girls reach their destination, what they found weren't people, but actually ghosts laughing at a fainted couple lying on the floor with the boyfriend holding onto his girlfriend to protect her. The ghosts then noticed the girls and turned their attention.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Ghost 1 mocked. "Some more victims ready to be scared, huh? Perfect, these two were just pushovers and didn't even leave much of an impression. Though the human male did try to stop us, but in the end, he was just a one hit wonder. Now you girlies would be much more satisfying to scare." Both ghosts laughed while the girls were in shock to see actual ghosts standing or rather floating before them. Zoey was the most terrified out of all of them as she was still shaking in fear.

"What in the world?! How is that even possible?!" Corina asked with wide eyes. "Are they actual ghosts? As in the same ghosts that people talk about? But ghosts don't exist! It's just not possible!"

"Don't think we exist, eh? We are very much real." Ghost 2 sneered. "And we're real enough to scare you humans to death! So I think that you need to get a reality check!"

"And is that what you did to that couple there? By scaring them half to death?" Kikki growled. "How could you two do such a terrible thing to them? You could've gotten them hurt!"

"That was the idea! They came to this place to be scared and that's what we gave them!" Ghost 1 mocked. "If they didn't wanted to be scared, then they shouldn't have come here, simple as that! But if you brats plan to ruin our fun, then we'll just have to teach you a lesson!"

"And exactly how do you plan to do that?" Corina asked while narrowing her eyes fiercely on the ghosts. "We clearly outnumber you and I doubt you two aren't even that strong against us. Not even a pack of Predasites were enough to take us all on at once!" The girls got into battle stance, but the ghosts started laughing again.

"Hey! What's so funny?! Why are you floating bedsheets laughing?" Kikki fumed.

"Oh, that's rich! These runts think we're here on our own!" Ghost 2 laughed "And they think they can stop us from scaring everyone!"

"Well, yeah, we can. That's pretty much common knowledge." Corina retorted. "There's five of us and only two of you. The odds are in our favor, not yours."

"That's what you think, missy! It's not just us here!" Ghost 1 refuted. "In fact, it was never just the two of us here! We're just scouts sent there to track down any potential victims we can find!"

"Scouts? Then who sent you here?" Bridget asked while tensed. "Who's the one that told you to scare other people here?" The ghosts didn't say anything, but gave a haunting smile as the same figure from before phases through the floor behind the girls. Then once in position, the figure raised his weapon above him and was just about to strike until Renee sees the shadow of the blade on the wall.

"EVERYONE! MOVE!" Renee shouted before the figure slashes his scythe and nearly misses the girls as they cartwheeled out of the way.

They landed a safe distance away as the figure floats out of the shadows to reveal himself. He was another ghost like the other two, but resembled more of a reaper with his gray robe, red hooded cape and scythe with a chain that wraps around the back and dangles on his sleeve. The reaper even wears a chained necklace with a crystal shaped eyeball and had blue eyes staring out from his hood.

"Hmph! You were quick to dodge my scythe." The phantom sneered. The ghosts bowed before the phantom reaper.

"Master Phantomon." The ghosts said the reaper's name. The Mew Mews were confused.

"Phantomon…? That's your name?" Corina raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. My name is Phantomon. I'm called a Digimon, short for Digital Monsters." Phantomon bowed sinisterly. Now the Mew Mews were even more confused.

"Digimon? Are they a new type of Predasite?" Bridget asked confusedly. Phantomon chuckled darkly.

"Oh you poor naïve girls. We Digimon are much stronger than the monsters you fought in the past." Phantomon readies his scythe. "But I believe the time for talk has pass. Bakemon, let's give these girls a fight they will remember!"

"Yes sir!" The two Bakemon agreed as they stood by their master.

"Power Pendant, Metamorphis!" The Mew Mews used their Power Pendants to transformed into their Mew Mew forms.

"Interesting…" Phantomon mused. "You girls aren't exactly normal, aren't you?"

"W-We dealt with monsters such as yourself and your two cohorts!" Zoey, at first was scared, but found her courage and said her famous catchphrase. "Mew Mew Style, Mew Mew Grace! Mew Mew Power in your face!" She struck a pose. The Bakemon, however laughed at that.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! What kind of idiot says that?! You only embarrassed yourself by saying that!" Bakemon 1 mocked. The four Mew Mews sweat dropped as they looked at their leader whose face is red with anger. If there is anything they know about their leader, it's to not diss her catchphrase, no matter how ridiculous it sounds.

"H-How dare you?!" Zoey snapped in anger as she lashed at the Bakemon who evaded her lashes. The Mews now know it is time to attack so Renee goes first.

"Silver Slash!" Renee lashed her whip at Phantomon, but it did little to no damage on him. "W-What?!" She gasped in shock.

"Now it's my turn! Shadow Scythe!" Phantomon lashed his scythe at the Mew Mews, they were hit by it for large damage.

"Ugh! He's strong!" Corina gawked as she readies her Heart Arrow. "Heart Arrow!" She launched her attack at the Bakemon, but they phased through them. "H-Hold still!"

"Deep Surge Attack!" Bridget was next as she launched her attack at Phantomon, but he deflected it with ease.

"Hoo boy!" Zoey stammered. "What should we do?!" Suddenly, an earthquake occurred. "W-What on earth?!"

"Ah, it seems the dimensional rift is opening." Phantomon said evilly. "We'll settle this in EDEN when we find you. Ta-Ta!" Phantomon mocked as he and his Bakemon servants warped out of here.

"Wait, what are you-?!" Renee didn't get to finished as the earthquake occurred again and a bright light covered the Mew Mews, when it subsided, they were gone.

* * *

 **Back in Ichika's world**

* * *

"Ahh!" Ichika gasped as he woke up from his bed and was panting heavily.

"Boss! Is it another vision?!" Agumon gasped.

"Yeah. And Agumon, this one is where the people of that world really need our help. Also, they appeared to be magical girls." Agumon was confused by this.

"Magical girls? What are those?" Agumon asked in curiously.

"Well, think of magical girls as super heroines with their special powers, only they originated from Japan. But they were struggling against a Digimon known as Phantomon." Ichika pondered about this.

"Should we tell the others about this in the morning?" Agumon asked.

"Yeah. We need to tell them about what I saw in my vision last night and help those magical girls when they arrive in EDEN tomorrow." Ichika agrees as he and Agumon went back to sleep to prepare themselves for tomorrow.

* * *

The next morning, Ichika and Agumon had woken up and got out of bed before heading for the bathroom to freshen up for the day. After that and Ichika getting dressed, they headed down stairs for some breakfast before meeting up with the rest of their friends and tell them about the vision he just had. As they reached the kitchen, they noticed a sight that was not something you'd see every day. There was Nami, Nabiki and Kuno cooking, setting up the table and cleaning everything in the kitchen with everyone else ordering them around.

"Come on, put your backs into it! This isn't a day in the park, you know!" Noire yelled. "You slackers have been way too lazy around here and now it's time you pulled your weight! If you want to keep living under this roof, then you'd better contribute like the rest of us do!" She then looks over to Neptune and Luffy who were goofing off. "Ok, most of us..." Neptune looks at her with an annoyed look while Luffy doesn't noticed anything.

"Not cool, Noire. So totally not cool..." Neptune pouted until she spots Ichika and Agumon. "And look who finally graces us with his presence. Ichika Orimura and his partner in crime Agumon." Everyone else all turned their attention to the two in question.

"Come on, Neptune. You don't need to introduce us like that, it's a little embarrassing." Ichika smiled as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "You can just introduce me like normal. No need for any flashy intro like that."

"Sorry, buddy boy. No can do." Neptune joked with closed eyes and a smile. "You're the king of this castle and we're just the lowly subjects. So, it's only natural that I introduce you and Agumon in this way. Just to let everyone know who is our gracious host." Everyone just looked at her with anime dot eyes before Noire whacks her on the head. "Aw crackerjacks! Not again!" She whined.

"Putting that aside, it's nice to see you two are up." Noire said with a smile. "Now I'm sure you're probably wondering why you're seeing Nami, Nabiki and Kuno working in your kitchen, right?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm wondering when we just arrived." Ichika answered her with a nod. "I know they caused a lot of trouble yesterday for accusing Dorumon of attacking Hayato and his friends' world, but I also said there was no need to punish them. I'm sure they've learned their lesson and won't do that again."

"Maybe so, but we weren't going to let them off scot-free." Vert frowned as she crossed her arms. "They still needed to be punished for their actions towards Dorumon and pay for it accordingly. But since we couldn't do any harsh punishments that you might disapprove of, we've decided to make them do all the housework for the rest of the month. That way, they'll still be punished for their actions yesterday and you can relax knowing we didn't punish them too harshly." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I guess you do make a good point, Vert. Maybe I was being too soft on them." Ichika smiled in agreement. "Well, as long as it's not anything too serious, I can let this all slide. Just so long as the person or people in question deserves it for their actions." Everyone nodded in understanding as Agumon taps his claw on his leg to get his attention. "Huh? What is it, Agumon?"

"Hey, Boss, weren't you going to tell them about the vision you had with the magical girls?" Agumon reminded.

"Magical girls?" Everyone asked in unison.

"Oh, right. Thanks for reminding me, buddy." Ichika remembered. "After seeing what was going on, I almost lost my train of thought." He turns back to his guests. "And yes, you all heard him right. My vision I saw last night had magical girls and they were fighting a group of ghost Digimon called Phantomon and Bakemon. And from what I saw, one of them seems to be scared of the ghost Digimon."

"I can get the being scared of ghosts bit, but seriously, magical girls?" Uni asked with an annoyed expression. "Why in the world would you see magical girls in your vision? It doesn't make any sense. And how exactly are they gonna fight a bunch of ghosts?"

"I know it sounds weird, but I'm sure there's a reason for this." Ichika answered her seriously. "But before we do anything else, we better tell the rest of our group about the situation and come up with a plan to help these magical girls." Everyone nodded in agreement as they all sat down for breakfast before meeting up with the rest of the gang.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

In the deep reaches of Kowloon, the Mew Mews were lying on the floor after being caught in an earthquake while fighting Phantomon and his Bakemon lackeys. Just then, Zoey's cat ear starts to twitch followed by her hand as she begins to open her eyes to see her new surroundings. She then picks herself up off the floor and shakes her head to regain her composure.

"Ow… what just happened…?" Zoey asked with a groan. "And…where are we…? All I can remember is going to the amusement park for our day off and then everything just goes blank…" As she held her head to ease the pain, she then remembers what happened before from trying to fight Phantomon and his Bakemon servants to being caught in the earthquake. "Wait, now I remember! We were trying to fight that Phantomon guy, but none of our attacks did anything to him or his lackeys! But then he said something about a dimensional rift right before he and his goons vanished! And what did he mean by we'll settle this in EDEN?" She then looks around to see her friends all laying around her. "Guys! Wake up!" The other Mew Mews all heard her and started to wake up.

"Not so loud, Zoey… I have a splitting headache…" Corina moaned. "What was with that earthquake and that light? And where exactly are we?" Kikki, Bridget and Renee all had woken up as well from hearing Zoey's voice. "What happened to us? The last thing I remembered was being in the haunted house with that Phantomon or whatever he's called." Kikki shakes her head before realizing their new surroundings.

"Never mind that, Corina. Where the heck are we?" Kikki asked as she looked around. "This place doesn't look like anything we've seen before. It's all blue and blocky everywhere."

"But how did we get here? Did that earthquake had something to do with it?" Renee asked as she tensed. "Or maybe that was some kind of trick Phantomon used on us to make his escape earlier? It seems impossible for an earthquake to send us to this place."

"Maybe, but we don't know for sure if this was his plan or not." Bridget stepped in with a serious frown. "For right now, we need to focus on trying to find out where we are and see if anyone could help us. If we're lucky, we might find some people who can tell us what this place is."

"Bridget's right, for now, we need to find out where we are." Zoey agrees. "We can worry about Phantomon later until we get a clue on what this place is. Besides, I'm sure he might find us anyway as he did say we'll settle this in EDEN." The other Mew Mews all nodded in agreement as they stood back up and headed out to figure out where they are.

Unknown to them, they're being watched by two figures who seems to be curious about the Mew Mews. One was a small red dinosaur Digimon with long claws on his hands and feet, a white stomach, yellow eyes and black markings all over his body. His ears even resembles wings on his head. The second one was a bipedal feminine jaguar Digimon with two tails, long red hair tied in a braided ponytail that ends with a gem, rings are her arms, claws, waist, tails, and feet, a headband and a veil covering her mouth. The two Digimon looked at each other and nodded before following the Mew Mews.

* * *

 **Back in the real world**

* * *

After having breakfast and getting dressed, Ichika and his guests got on the bus where they've met up with the rest of their friends and were on their way to meet up with Kyoko. Durning the bus ride, Ichika told the rest of his friends about his vision where he saw a reaper Digimon called Phantomon and his Bakemon lackeys attacking a group of magical girls, which much like before, everyone was confused on the subject of magical girls in his vision.

"Ok, so let's see if we're hearing this right." Liz said confusedly. "From what you're telling us, you saw five girls were hanging out at an amusement park as part of their day off and decided to enter a haunted house as their first stop. But one of them was too scared to go in because she's afraid of ghosts, only to still go in anyway with her friends. However, while going through the haunted house, they heard some screaming and that's when they've encountered two Bakemon and their leader Phantomon where they've transformed into magical girls to fight them, the same magical girls we watched on TV, but were caught in the same earthquake that sent the rest of us to this world. Is that pretty much everything you saw in your vision from last night?"

"Yeah, that's the whole gist of it." Ichika answered her with a serious frown. "And much like how all of you appeared in Kowloon, it can be the same for them as well. So, we'll need to be ready when we find them in EDEN. Along with fighting Phantomon and his Bakemon lackeys who want to settle their battle with them."

"That's all well and good, but how are we gonna find them?" Erica asked with a frown. "They could be anywhere in Kowloon and we don't know where to start looking. How can we be sure if these girls are the ones you saw in your vision?"

"I'm sure we'll know who they are when we find them." Ichika answered her confidently. "I know one of them has cat ears and a tail pop out whenever she gets excited. I believe her name was Zoey from what her friends said."

"Huh?" Everyone blinked in confusion.

"I know it sounds weird, but that's what I also saw in my vision." Ichika said as he continued "So when we arrive at Nakano and explain the situation to Kyoko, we'll head for Kowloon to find these girls and help them in any way we can." Everyone nodded in agreement as the bus continues towards its destination.

* * *

 **Around the same time**

* * *

At the Tokyo International Airport, planes were seen picking up passengers and taking off or landing to drop off their passengers to return home or take a vacation. One plane in particular was a JetBlue plane that was coming in for a landing as the landing gear extends out just before touching down on the runway. Once the plane slows down, the pilots taxies it towards the gate and shuts down the engines to let the plane refuel for the next journey while the passengers disembarks and their luggage are being collected by the crew on the runway. As the passengers exits the gate, the same four people from the crowd of people before letting out a stretch after being in the plane for hours.

"Ahhhh! Finally! We made it!" The girl sighed with a smile. "After being in the plane for hours, I thought we'd never make it here! And this is where our new lives begin! I can't wait to see what our new home has to offer!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet, we still need to head for the IS Academy and enroll there." Graham said with a smile. "However, it's still the weekend and we've only just arrived in Japan. So for right now, let's just grab our luggage and see if we can enroll at the IS Academy for tomorrow." Hie relatives all nodded in agreement as they headed for the baggage claim to collect their belongings before leaving the airport by bus.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

As the bus arrives at Nakano, our heroes entered the shopping center and headed for the Kuremi Detective Agency to tell Kyoko about Ichika's vision and the situation of some newcomers arriving in Kowloon. But as they entered the office, Kyoko was nowhere to be found as her desk was unoccupied and many papers were still left on the floor. However, there was a note left on the desk that lets them know that she was out for some time and won't be back until later and those who knows her already figured it out while the others who don't were confused.

"Huh, looks like the boss lady is out again. And even left us another note." Neptune said with a whistle. "Guess that means we won't be seeing her until later on. Maybe she's out with this Matayoshi guy she mentioned in her other letters?"

"That could be the case, so we'll just have to wait until she returns to tell her about the situation." Houki answered her with a nod. "So, until then, we'll just have to wait until we hear anything." Most of the group nodded in agreement while the newer members were confused at what they mean.

"Ok, what exactly are you guys talking about?" Reitia asked confusedly with raised eyebrows. "And where's the lady that almost killed us yesterday? Are you guys saying that she's out?"

"Yep, that's what we're saying. She only does this when she's really busy." Ling answered her with a nod. "There are times we won't find her in the office, so we can assume that she's out on some detective business. Of course, she lets us know by leaving a letter on her desk so we'd know that she's out doing her job."

"Wow, being a detective must be hard work for her. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for her." Emilia said in amazement. "She has to work overtime to help with an investigation, staking out for long hours, and even until the early hours of the morning. She sure is dedicated to her work as a detective." Everyone nodded in agreement while Satoru stayed silent, but no one noticed until the Digivices started ringing.

"Boss! We've got trouble! And it's a big one!" Agumon shouted.

"What is it, Agumon? Is there something wrong?" Ichika asked in concern. "Is it the same girls in my vision?"

"Them and two more with them! I think they're Digimon!" Agumon answered him with a nod. "But they're not the ones that attacked those girls in their world, they're completely different. So we can assume that Phantomon and his Bakemon lackeys can't be too far behind."

"If that's the case, then we better head for Kowloon now." Satrou said while frowning seriously. "If Phantomon and his Bakemon good squad are close, then there's no way they'll handle them. We'll have to make a break for them as soon as we arrive in Kowloon." Everyone nods as Twoearle steps up to them.

"I'm going with you guys as well. I'm not going to sit by and let all of you get hurt." Twoearle said seriously. "I've been on the sidelines long enough, I want to help you guys save those girls and the two Digimon. And besides, it's about time I got my own Digimon partner so I can fight alongside you guys.

"Are you sure about this, Twoearle? It could be really dangerous." Char frowned in concern. "We don't know if Phantomon's going to fight us himself or he'll just have his Bakemon attack us. But are you really sure you want to come with us?"

"Yeah, I'm more than sure about this. I can handle whatever Phantomon throws our way." Twoearle answered her with a serious frown. "I can help you guys out a lot more when I'm with all of you than I could back here in the office." Everyone looked at each other for a brief moment before turning back to her and nodded.

"Ok, you can join us to Kowloon, Twoearle." Ichika smiled as he gave her a thumbs up which she returns the gesture. "We can definitely use your help in coming up with strategies to deal with whatever Phantmon has planned. And if we manage to save one of the Digimon that's with the girls from my vision, you can accept it as your partner. So you ready to head for Kowloon?" Twoearle nods as everyone gathers around Ichika before using his Connect Jump to enter the TV in the office while her and Satoru enters their EDEN accounts on Satoru's laptop immediately after.

* * *

 **Elsewhere**

* * *

As the same bus from the airport stops at the entrance to the IS Academy, the same four people from before disembarks from the bus and collects their belongings from the bus driver before driving back to the airport. After the bus left, the four boards the monorail and rides it over to the IS Academy where they can enroll as new students for the remainder of the year.

"Here we are, the IS Academy. This is where our new lives begin." The girl smiled. "I've always heard about this place and only seen it in IS Monthly, but this is the first time actually coming here and being enrolled. And to think all it took was to take that exam and know how to pilot an IS."

"Well, considering that it only accepted girls until recently, it doesn't come as much of a surprise." Boy 2 said in agreement. "You've been working hard on learning how to pilot an IS for months and when it was time for the exam, you passed with flying colors, Whitney. No pun intended there." His relatives all chuckled. "But I'm surprised that you wanted us to come with you to Japan now that the IS Academy accepts male students."

"Hey, I couldn't just leave home without you guys. We're all family after all." Whitney smiled with closed eyes. "So, if any of us goes somewhere, we're all going together. That's just how our great-grandparents wanted this family to be after our really bad history and it's our job to make sure that never happens again."

"That it is, Whitney. That it is." Graham agrees with a smile. "And this could be just the start we need to make our family's reputation better than before. It may have been a slow process, but it's been coming along nicely. And hopefully, we can put all our past transgressions behind us."

"With you as the next head of the family, it could very well be on its way." Boy 3 said with closed eyes and a smile. "I'm sure you'll bring our family back into the public's good side even after all the terrible things our ancestors did for nearly a century ago. But you won't be going alone, we'll also be right beside you so that you won't bear the burden yourself." Whitney and the other boy nodded in agreement as Graham looks at his relatives with a smile.

"Robin, Emilie, Whitney, thanks. It really means a lot to me." Graham said with a soft smile. "Knowing that you'll all be right there when I become the head of our family, it really helps me ease up on all the stress. So long as we're together, we can bring our family into a new age of peace." His relatives all nodded in agreement until their cellphones starts to act strangely. They all took their phones out from their pockets and checked them.

"Hey, what's going on with our cellphones? It's never acted like this before." Robin gasped in shock. "It's only like they have a mind of their own! What's making them act up like this?" Before anyone could answer, their phones all reacted to the monorail's computer as it starts to digitize them into data and absorbs them into the monitor. A moment later, they were gone as the computer sparks from the reaction.

* * *

 **Back with our heroes**

* * *

Upon entering the TV in the office, the Cyber Sleuths heads for Kowloon LV 2 to find and rescue the girls from Ichika's vision along with two Digimon from Phantomon and the Bakemon. Eventually, our heroes materialized at the entrance to Kowloon LV 2 and hoped off the terminal to begin their search. Satoru brings out a panel and begins typing away to locate them and make sure Phantomon doesn't get to them before they do.

"So, Satoru, any luck finding them yet?" Ichika asked with a serious frown. "Were you able to find the girls and the two Digimon that Agumon and the others sensed?"

"Yeah, they're definitely here, all right. Just as you predicted." Satoru answered him with a nod. "They're pretty deep inside Kowloon and the two Digimon are there with them. No sigh of Phantomon just yet, so we might still have a chance."

"That's good to hear. We got here before Phantomon did." Houki smiled in relief. "I was concerned we didn't make it in time, but I'm glad we did. So now all that's left to do is to find them and make sure they're safe. Hopefully we'll get to them before Phantomon does." Everyone nodded in agreement until Satoru detected more signals in the same area as the others.

"Huh? What the hell? Where did these signals come from?" Satoru gasped in alarm as everyone turned to him.

"What's wrong, Satoru-san? Did something happen to the ones from Ichika's vision?" Libby asked in concern.

"No, it's not them, but something else entirely." Satoru answered her. "I'm getting four more signals from the same area as the others. But none of them are Phantomon or the Bakemon, though we can't be too careful around them." He then detects another signal and this time it was the one they've feared. "Uh oh, that's not good…"

"What? What's not good?" Noire asked worriedly.

"I'm getting some bad signals coming closer to them and I think that it is Phantomon this time." Satoru answered her with a serious frown. "He and his Bakemon are closing in on the others right now and if we don't hurry, they'll be in trouble!"

"Then we better hurry over to them before it's too late!" Ichika frowned as he pounded his fists together. "If we don't make it to them in time, there's no telling what Phantomon could do to them! We better pick up the pace if we're gonna beat Phantomon to them!" Everyone nodded in agreement as they all made a mad dash to the location of the people from Ichika's vision.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

Further deeper into Kowloon, the Mew Mews were still wandering around searching for a way out, but to no avail. None of the hackers were any help as most of them seemed to think they're either some weird cosplayers or not even worth their time since they don't have any Digimon. Of course, this didn't sit well for three of the Mew Mews as they were fuming in anger while the other two were wondering what was going on.

"Ok, just what the heck was that guy's problem?!" Kikki fumed as an anger vein appeared on her forehead. "We were just asking for help on finding a way out, but all we got was weird looks and rude comments! Just what was the deal here? They're treating us like we're just a bunch of weirdos!"

"And to top it off, they've even called us some weird cosplayers!" Corina agrees with a angry and scary frown. "Cosplayers, I tell you! What exactly makes them think they can just call me a cosplayer and get away with it?! I'll make them all regret the day they've called Corina Bucksworth a cosplayer!"

"I'm with you two! We'll make those jerks pay for calling us weird cosplayers!" Zoey also agrees with an anger vein on her forehead. "And the first one we'll make pay is that Phantomon jerk who attacked us out of nowhere! We were trying to enjoy our day off and he had to go ruin it for us! So when we see that cloaked jerk again, we'll make him pay for attacking us out of the blue!" Both Corina and Kikki nodded in agreement while Bridget and Renee were more focused on a different matter.

"But, Zoey, even if we do find Phantomon, wouldn't our attacks be ineffective against him?" Bridget asked her with concern. "When we tried fighting him before, none of our attacks did anything to him. How can we be sure that it won't be the same result?" That made Zoey, Corina and Kikki all realized that she was right as Renee added her two cents.

"And plus, we still don't have any idea how we've even got to this place." Renee added. "All that I can recall was Phantomon mentioning a dimensional rift before being caught in that bright light and ending up here soon after. So, save your energy for now, we still need to find a way out of this place." Her friends all nodded in agreement and were about to continue on until Kikki spotted four silhouettes not too far from their location.

"Hey, guys! I see some people over there!" Kikki gasped. "It looks like they're all passed out! Do you guys think they're all right?"

"I don't know, but we need to make sure they're ok." Zoey answered her. "We may not know how to escape this place, but we still have to help those in need. It's our duty as Mew Mews to make sure that everyone is safe from harm." Her friends all nodded in agreement as they all headed for the people lying unconscious.

Upon arriving, each of the Mew Mews checks one of the people laying down on the floor while Renee keeps a close eye out anyone who tries to make a sneak attack. Upon closer inspection, the four people were the Sohmas who were all digitized and sent into the monorail's monitor while on their way to the IS Academy, not that any of the Mew Mews knew about that.

"Hey, wake up! Are you guys all right? Come on, wake up!" Kikki pleaded.

"Well, how are they feeling? Are there any damages to them?" Renee asked.

"It doesn't look like it. I don't see any wounds on them." Bridget answered her with a smile. "And their pulses seem normal, so that's good to know. But other than that, there's no bodily harm on any of them."

"But if that's the case, then how are they unconscious?" Corina asked with raised eyebrows. "If there aren't any wounds on them, then there must be another reason why we found them here." She then turns over to their leader. "So, Zoey, what do you think we should do about them?"

"I think we'll wait for them to wake up. That way, we'll know what happened to them." Zoey answered her. "So until they wake up, we'll have to keep watch over them. There's no telling what could happen if we leave them alone." Her friends all nodded until one of the Sohams started to stir.

"Hey, one of them is starting to wake up now. And right on time too." Kikki said with a smile. "Looks like we didn't have to wait that long after all. Hopefully they can tell us where we are and what happened to them." Her friends all nodded in agreement as they gathered around the Sohmas as they started to wake up.

"Huh…? Wha…? What happened…?" Graham asked with a moan as he starts to open his eyes.

"Hey, are you guys all right? You're not hurt too badly, are you?" Zoey asked him with a smile. "I gotta admit, you had me a little worried when we found you guys just laying here. We thought you were all injured, but I'm glad that's not the case. Can you tell me your name?"

"It's Graham. Graham Sohma." Graham answered her with a smile.

"Graham Sohma. That's a nice name. I'm Zoey Hanson." Zoey smiled as she helped Graham up. "So, Graham, what happened to you and your friends? What caused you to lay here unconscious in the first place?"

"Well, we were on our way to be enrolled at the IS Academy after arriving in Tokyo an hour ago." Graham answered her as he began to recall, confusing the Mew Mews on the IS Academy, but they listen to his story "But while on our way to the school, our cellphones started going crazy and then the monorail started acting up. But before we could do anything, we were somehow digitized and then sent into the monorail's computers. Everything else between that and now is all a blank."

"Hold on, so you guys mean to tell us that your phones just went crazy and then you were all absorbed into a computer?" Corina asked skeptically. "I've seen and heard a lot of weird stuff before, but there's no way that's even possible. It doesn't make any sense; how can a cellphone just go crazy all on its own?" Soon enough, Robin, Emile and Whitney all had woken up as well.

"I know it sounds strange, but we're not lying to you." Robin answered her with a serious frown. "We didn't know what was going on with our phones, but it was all right before our eyes. I'm not even sure what happened, it just happened all so fast."

"So is that how you guys ended up here? In this place?" Kikki asked them as she pieced them together. "Right after your phones just went nuts and got sucked into the computer on the monorail?"

"Yeah, pretty much. That's just how it happened." Whitney answered her with a nod. "But what I'm wondering is that how did we end up here in Kowloon of all places? I didn't think the monorail's computer was connected to EDEN..."

"EDEN? Kowloon? What are they?" Renee asked confusedly.

"Wait, you mean you girls never even heard of EDEN or Kowloon before?" Emile asked in shock.

"No." Zoey answered him.

"Not me." Kikki answered him while shaking her head no.

"I've never heard of either of them." Corina answered with a shrug.

"It's the first time I've heard of them." Bridget answered her.

"I haven't gotten the slightest clue." Renee answered with a shrug. "So what are these EDEN and Kowloon?"

"Well, EDEN is this massive network where people from around the world can interact with each other without even leaving their houses." Robin answered her. "You can create your own avatar while logged into EDEN and meet up with other users all over the world. It's the creation of Kamishiro Enterprises as a way to connect people."

"Wow, that sounds amazing. I had no idea EDEN could do that." Bridget smiled. "So just by logging into EDEN, you can meet with other people from around the world and interact with them. It sounds like EDEN is a paradise for everyone."

"Maybe, but what about this other place you guys mentioned? This Kowloon place?" Corina asked confusedly. "You make it sound like both are completely different things. So what's the story there?"

"Well, Kowloon is really a graveyard of data that's been abandoned for years during EDEN's development." Whitney answered her with a serious frown. "It's also not a place most EDEN users go to because of how dangerous it is. But despite all of that, hackers can be seen everywhere and they can do a lot of crimes like stealing someone's info or just deleting a person's account for kicks. They've all even formed groups where they can accomplish a lot more than a single hacker can do by themselves. And not only that, but Kowloon's also filled with Digimon that the hackers use to battle each other or help them commit crimes."

"Again with these Digimon things… First that Phantomon guy and now you guys." Corina complained. "Just what the heck are these Digimon things to begin with? And what do they have to do with all these weird things happening?" Before anyone could answer her, someone else stepped in.

"I could answer that to you, but it might take some time for it to process." A female voice answered reassuredly "But I can tell you is that not all us Digimon are like the ones being used by those miscreants. Just the ones who are just as rotten to the core as those humans." The Mew Mews and the Sohmas all turned to see the same two Digimon from before, not that they knew. But then, the Mew Mews got into battle stance. "Whoa, whoa! Easy there! There's no need to get hostile here. We don't mean any harm."

"And exactly how can we be sure you're telling us the truth?" Renee asked warningly. "What makes you think that you two aren't with Phantomon sent to finish us off? If either of you try to pull a fast one on us, then we won't hesitate to fight back."

"Phantomon? Who's this Phantomon?" The other Digimon asked confusedly. "Why would we be with someone like him? We're not like this Phantomon you guys mentioned."

"Hold on, I think they're telling the truth." Graham interjected. "It doesn't look like these two are with this Phantomon you mentioned. If they were, wouldn't they have attacked us by now?" The Mew Mews thought about it for a moment and realized he was right.

"Now that you mentioned it, you're right. They would've attacked us if they were with Phantomon." Zoey answered with a nod. "So maybe these two aren't with Phantomon since I don't think he'd used them to attack us. Maybe we should hear them out before we make any mistakes we might regret later." Her friends all nodded in agreement and were about to lower their weapons, only to feel a familiar presence approaching them from all around them.

"Well, so this is where you were all sent to. To think you'd all still be alive." A familiar voice mocked. "And since you're all still in one piece, we can finally settle our battle back in your world." Phantomon reappears along with his Bakemon minions, only this time there were more of them surrounding all around.

"Phantomon!" Zoey yelled in anger. "So you were true to your word, after all! So now we'll get even with you and your goon squad!" Phantomon chuckled darkly.

"Oh? It'll be the same as last time. So what makes it so different now? He sneered as he readies his scythe. Suddenly, the two Digimon stood in front of the Sohmas and Mew Mews. "Oh? Two partnerless Digimon are gonna challenge us?"

"Hah! They don't stand a chance against us!" One of the Bakemon mocked.

"Maybe, but we're not gonna stand by and watch you harm those humans!" The feminie Digimon snarled as she readies her claws.

"Guilmon is ready to help too!" The red dinosaur like Digimon now called Guilmon growled as he readies himself.

"You can't!" Bridget covered her mouth in shock. "We saw how strong they are!"

"Maybe, but we're not gonna sit by and watch them harm you guys!" The female Digimon reassured her as she got ready.

"You must be joking!" Phantomon mocked as he lashed his scythe at the two Digimon, knocking them towards the Sohmas and Mew Mews. Graham ran up to Guilmon and checked for wounds.

"Hey! You alright?!" Graham gasped as he checked for wounds. Guilmon woke up and noticed Graham staring at him in concern. "Phew! That's a relief, no serious injuries. My name is Graham Sohma. And you are?" He smiled.

"Guilmon. Nice to meet you, Grahammon." Guilmon smiled cheerfully. Graham sweat dropped.

"Um, it's Graham, not Grahammon." He corrected him.

"Okay, Grahammon." Guilmon closed his eyes and smiled.

"Oh nevermind…"

"Are you kids done chatting?" One of the Bakemon mocked as he and his four cohorts charged towards Bridget, Renee and the feminine Digimon, all three of them closed their eyes and waited for the inevitable, until suddenly…

 **CLASH!**

"What?!" Phantomon snarled as the three opened their eyes and saw GeoGreymon and Dorugamon blocked the five Bakemon. Ichika and the Cyber Sleuths rushed up to the Mew Mews and Sohmas. Ichika, Satoru and Twoearle rushed to Bridget, Renee and the feminine Digimon and tend to their wounds.

"Hey, you girls okay?" Ichika asked as he helped Bridget up. Bridget couldn't help but notice how handsome Ichika is.

"Um… Thanks." Bridget blushed.

"Y-Yeah, thank you…" Renee blushed as well as she noticed how handsome Satoru is as well.

"Hey, you okay? What's your name? I'm Twoearle." Twoearle smiled as she helped the Digimon up.

"Yeah. My name is Beastmon. So why did you help me? We only met for the first time." Beastmon asked confusedly.

"Isn't it obvious?" Twoearle smiled as she placed her hand on Beastmon's shoulder. "It's destiny that we meet and I have a feeling that you'll be my partner and trusted friend."

"Partner and trusted friend…" Beastmon muttered in awe.

"Listen, Beastmon. There's something weird going on in EDEN and Kamishino Enterprises is rumored to be behind this and I need to help a friend return to his original body. So what do you say, Beastmon? Wanna be partners?" Twoearle smiled.

"You bet! Let's trounce these bad guys!" Beastmon grinned. Twoearle smiled back as she registered Beastmon as her partner.

Phantomon eyed the Cyber Sleuths, most notably Impmon and mocked "Well, well, well! If it isn't Impmon? I am surprised you're still alive after 8 years." All eyes turned to Impmon as he glared at Phantomon.

"Yeah, and you're still the creep I know, Phantomon." Imp growled as he got into a battle stance.

"Impmon, what's going on? You know this Digimon?" Elias asked confusedly.

"Yeah. But I don't want to go back to his group after 8 years ago. I won't rest until I get my revenge on the group Phantomon worked for after what they did 8 years ago. Elias, are you ready?!" Impmon yelled.

"Right!" Elias agreed as he got ready. Suddenly, Graham and Guilmon stood beside them.

"In that case, let us help you!" Graham agreed.

"Huh? You sure about this? Have you gotten your Digimon registered?" Cecilia asked in concern. She and Graham looked into each other's eyes and couldn't help but blush, but it was interrupted by Graham's phone beeping as he checked it and saw that Digimon Capture has been installed.

"Ok. So let's try this out." Graham nodded seriously as he pointed his Digivice at Guilmon and registered him as his partner. "Alright, Guilmon, ready to kick some tail?" Graham smiled.

"You bet, Grahammon!" Guilmon agreed as he glowed with red energy. "Guilmon, digivolve to…" Guilmon then turn into a red version of BlackGrowlmon. "Growlmon!" Growlmon roared.

"Whoa, it's a red version of BlackGrowlmon!" Tomoka gasped in awe.

"In that case, let me help too." Impmon smiled as he too glowed with energy. "Impmon, digivolve to…" Impmon then turned into Meramon, only his body is a darker red and has yellow eyes. "Meramon!"

"Awesome! This Meramon is different from the one we fought before!" Tatenashi cheered.

 **(Brave Heart plays)**

"Hey Twoearle, think your new Digimon partner can fight Phantomon and his goon squad in her Champion form-" Before Houki can finished, Beastmon interrupted her.

"Actually, I'm an Ultimate level Digimon." Beastmon said proudly.

There was silence among the Cyber Sleuths as they realized Beastmon was right about being a Ultimate level Digimon. "Well, this is awkward…" Black Heart muttered.

"Enough talk! Get them!" Phantomon ordered as the Bakemon charged towards the Cyber Sleuths.

"Mind Fogger!" Beastmon danced then slashes two Bakemon, they screamed as they were deleted by Beastmon's attack.

"Nice one, Beastmon!" Twoearle cheered.

"Mega Burst!"

"Magma Bomb!" Meramon summoned meteor rocks that hit some of the Bakemon, deleting them.

"Nightmare Claw!" One of the Bakemon lashed a dark energy claw like attack at Kyubiimon, but Growlmon got in the way and blocked it.

"Plasma Blade!" Growlmon lashed at the Bakemon who attacked Kyubiimon, deleting him.

"Bir-Flame" Birdramon breathed out fire that hit some of the Bakemon trying to attack her, deleting them.

"Keep it up, guys!" Char cheered as Strikedramon and Togemon combined their attacks to give some of the Bakemon even more hurt. Only 19 left.

"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon launched her attack at three Bakemon with Asuna's help. After the Bakemon were deleted, Gatomon and Asuna high fived each other to congratulated each other.

"Cannonball!" Dorugamon launched his attack at five more Bakemon as Beastmon helped him out with it, deleting the Bakemon. Only 11 left.

"Fist of the Beast King!"

"Magical Game!"

"Cross Combination!" Leomon, Wizardmon and Purple Heart combined their attacks to give one Bakemon even more hurt, deleting him.

"Vee-Laser!"

"Multi-Moon Shooter!" ExVeemon and Stingmon combined their attacks to destroy two Bakemon. Only eight left.

"That's it! Time we bull rush them!" A Bakemon growled as he and his seven cohorts charged towards the gang with frenzied yells.

"No, you fools!" Phantomon growled as he saw Growlmon getting ready for his attack.

"Exhaust Flame!" Growlmon yelled as he launched his attack at the remaining Bakemon, deleting them. The gang cornered Phantomon.

"Now that leaves you, Phantomon!" Ling growled. Phantomon chuckled darkly.

"You may have won this battle, but I will return. And don't think I will come after you alone, I have friends, friends who are much more powerful than the small fry you have been fighting!" Phantomon warped out of here.

"Hey, get back here, you no good, scythe wielding creep! We're not finished with you!" Kikki yelled in anger. "Come back here and fight like a Digimon!"

"Forget it, he's gone now. We'll deal with him some other time." Houki calmed her down before smiling. "Right now, we should be thankful that we made it in time and no one was seriously hurt. So for now, we can take it easy."

"You're right, Houki. We can deal with Phantomon another day." Ichika agrees with a smile before frowning seriously as he ponders Phantomon's words. "But while we may have chased him off, there's still the matter of what he said just before vanishing..."

"You mean about him saying he's got more powerful friends?" Black Heart asked, sharing Ichika's frown with her own.

"Yeah, that's what has me worried the most." Ichika nods as he scratches his chin in thought. "If what he said to be true, then we could be in for some tough battles ahead. I'm not sure when or where they'll strike, but I'm positive that we'll win against them."

"But how can you be sure that we'll stand a chance against these friends of his?" Hayato asked in concern. "If they are as powerful as he says, then do we stand a chance against them?"

"Oh…" Calumon sighed as his ears retracts with Emilia holding him closer.

"Maybe not at the moment, but we will as we get closer to finding out the truth about Kamishiro Enterprises." Ichika answered him. "It may be a while until then, but we'll get stronger as we continue on. So we'll be ready by the time we do encounter them." Everyone nodded in agreement as they all turned to the Mew Mews and the Sohmas. "But for right now, let's head back to the office. I'm sure you guys have a lot of questions." All the Digimon reverted back to their Rookie levels expect for Gatomon and Beastmon while the CPUs do the same.

"You got that right, buddy. We've got a ton of questions for you guys." Whitney agrees as she added "Like what the hell was that all about and where did you guys come from? I'm still trying to process what just happened."

"I'm sure we can answer your questions, but not right here." Satoru told her. "There's still a lot of hackers roaming around and who knows if one of them tries to challenge us. So let's head for the office, we can talk along the way." Everyone nodded in agreement as they all started heading back to the real world with the Mew Mews and the Sohams in tow.

But with realization of Phantomon saying that he has more powerful friends, there could be even more tougher battles down the line. But that will not deter our heroes from working hard and getting stronger together as they get closer to the truth about Kamishiro Enterprises and finding a cure to the EDEN Syndrome. But for now, our heroes can rest east knowing they've saved more people from the clutches of evil.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Next chapter: Digimon and Pokemon! When Two Species of Creatures Collide!**

 **A/n: Sorry it took us a long time to upload this chapter. But please be patient with us as there will be more chapters like this along the way. Next up, our heroes meet Ash and the gang from Pokemon (Set during the Kalos Arc) and they won't fight a Digimon this time, but the annoying Team Rocket.**

 **Also, on another note, to whoever suggested Ben 10 Ultimate Alien and other crossovers, I believe I said in a previous chapter and the review page that me and Panther J won't add cartoons to IS crossovers (Well, maybe in a future spin-off to our future FFXV x IS x RWBY crossover) and we already decided which crossovers to add in this fic by the list we made before writing this story. So it would be nice if you stop suggesting crossovers in the review page of this story. Thank you for your time and see you next time!**


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